


Dexter Season 8: The Beginning of the End

by KS4EVA



Category: Dexter (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:47:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 127,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24287596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KS4EVA/pseuds/KS4EVA
Summary: Alternative version of season 8 of the TV show, Dexter. A true season with 12 episodes provided. The season picks up with the aftermath of season 7 finale. How does Dexter react after the chain of events that begin before the struck midnight on New Years? All recognizable characters in this fic are property of Showtime. I claim ownership only to the story written and any characters not recognized (OC). Feedback is greatly appreciated.
Relationships: Hannah McKay/Dexter Morgan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Episode 1: Auld Lang Syne

_"New year: A time-honored tradition of celebrating the end of a calendar year, and the beginning of another."_

Dexter Morgan's brown eyes shifted to his rear view mirror. He took note of Harrison who was sleeping soundly in his car seat as well as the multi-color clusters of fireworks that was still visible over the dark Miami skyline over Batista's restaurant. He then glanced over to Debra who was sitting in his passenger seat staring blankly out the window.

_"For most people, a new year as a chance to start over; a clean slate with all the sins and vices of the past year being forgiven and forgotten after the clock strikes 12. If only it was that easy for Deb."_

Dex was worried about his sister. She had gone from one extreme to the other; sobbing uncontrollably with Laguerta's lifeless body in her arms to emotionally vacant while she witnessed her brother carry out his plan to erase what she had done. With a firm grasp of her brother's forearm, Deb had allowed him to lead her through the sea of party goers toward Papa's Cafe. She was on autopilot; her mind trying to rationalize or make excuses for what she had done.

Dexter had thought it best that Debra stayed with him and Harrison at the apartment. The last thing she needed right now was to be alone at her place with only her raw recollection of shooting Maria to keep her company. That was a burden that he knew full well that she would not be able to handle right now.

"It's going to be okay, Deb." He breathed in a tone of voice that didn't sound all that comforting as he stayed focus on the drive back to his apartment.

There was few moments of awkward silence before Debra finally shattered it with her strangled voice that sounded like she was on the verge of hysteria:

"How the fuck is it every going to be okay, Dex? I'm the fucking Lieutenant of Homicide and I murd-"

She stopped herself mid-sentence covering her mouth with her casted left hand. The tears began to flow again as she did her best to stifle a sob. Deb couldn't even bring herself to say it aloud. She had murdered Maria Laguerta on New Year's Eve in a shipping container. No amount of Xanax was going to help her forget that.

"You did what you had to do. I promise you that this is not going to come back on us. I'll take care of everything."

It was Dexter's second attempt at trying to be supportive of his sister. He was trying his best to give her the most optimistic view of the situation by assuring her that because of his forensic expertise, she would never have to answer for her actions. After all, Harry's number one rule of the code was not to get caught. They would get through this, just like they had always gotten through everything else.

When his words did nothing to sooth her, he made an attempt to reach over with his right hand to place it on her shoulder. She swatted it away.

"Don't! Just don't, Dexter! Stay the fuck away! I'm done, just leave me alone!"

Harrison let out a small whine from the backseat, stirring in his slumber because of his aunt Deb's outburst. Dexter exhaled through his gaped mouth. He brought his right hand back to his Ford Escape's steering wheel.

_"Stay away. Those were the same words that had come out of Harry's mouth when he came face to face with my urge to kill. The idea of the code and the spirit of it was one thing, but actually witnessing my work was too much for him. Like my father, my sister can't accept the real me nor the darkness to which I pulled her into when she entered that shipping container and had to pull the trigger."_

Dexter's eyes glanced up to his rear view and he saw his father seated in the backseat next to his sleeping son.

_Harry: "You can't blame Debra for acting this way. What she did for you tonight shook her to the very core of her being. Your sister isn't like you, Dexter. Why do you think I instilled in you the need to keep what you are a secret from her and everyone else you care about? To keep something like this from happening. This will destroy Debra if you aren't there for her."_

_"I'm here for her. I've always put Deb first. Hannah was the one person in the world I didn't have to hide anything from and I sent to her to prison because she tried to hurt Deb. Spare me the lecture, Dad."_

The imaginary dialogue with his foster father came to a halt the moment Dexter pulled his Ford Escape into its usual parking space at his apartment complex. Before he could kill the engine, Debra sprung out from the passenger door, slamming it before walking toward the bay.

He thought about going after her for a moment, but quickly decided against it. He was willing to give her space. Perhaps a few quiet minutes alone by the water would help calm her down. Meanwhile, he needed to get Harrison to bed.

With his sleeping child in his arms, he climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked toward apartment 10B. What he saw at his doorstep made him stop dead in his tracks. His eyes widened while studying the plant.

_"A black orchid."_

"Hannah..." Dexter breathed in a hushed whisper.

Dexter slowly bent down and picked up the plant with his free hand. It was small. The same kind of plant she picked out for him at the beginning of their relationship, only dark. A darker version of Hannah, perhaps?

_"Hannah's out. This plant was her way of letting me know."_

Shuffling into the dark apartment, he sat the plant down on the kitchen counter top before shifting his son to his other arm. Harry appeared standing in the kitchen the moment Dexter flicked on a light.

_Harry: "A black flowered plant being left on your doorstep doesn't seem like a loving sentiment, Dex; It's more like a warning about what she's capable of, like that cut on your lip."_

Dexter moved his tongue over the scab on his lip that was courtesy of his love. A passionate goodbye kiss that without warning turned into a bitter bite that was fueled with contempt. A response to his Judas kiss in her garden before he turned her over to Miami Metro.

_"I already know what she's capable of. I've known all along, but that didn't stop me from falling for her. Even after what she did to Deb, I can't bring myself to hate Hannah."_

Dex gently ran a fingertip over one of the black pedals of the plant. So soft and beautiful, just like her.

_"I'm still in love with her."_

_Harry: "That may be so, Dexter, but it doesn't change the fact that she tried to kill your sister. You know you could never have a future with Hannah. You should just get rid of that plant."_

_"I'm not going to get rid of it, but I can't let Deb see it. She'll know right away who it was from, and she's going to find out soon enough that Hannah escaped."_

The sound of the apartment door opening made Dexter spring into action as he quickly scooped the plant back up and moved it into his nearby bedroom and set it down next to his small TV on the dresser. He then spun back around to face his sister who shot him an icy stare with her puffy and tear stained face.

"Thanks for fucking caring enough to check on me, big brother." She scoffed sarcastically folding her arms in front of her.

"I thought you wanted some space." He admitted with a look of confusion as he watched his sister enter his kitchen area.

"Please tell me you have beer. If there was ever a time I needed to get shitfaced, it's now." muttered Debra swinging the refrigerator door open.

"Yeah, there should be some in there. I'm just going to put Harrison to bed, Jamie mentioned that she was saying with a friend tonight so feel free to sleep on her side of the apartment."

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to sleep again after what happened tonight." She answered back in a strained voice. She was fighting the tears back yet again.

Dexter paused for a minute and contemplated how he should respond to her. He didn't know, and the last time he reached out she told him to stay away. That's what he needed to do.

After putting Harrison to bed, Dexter left Debra drowning her sorrows with her favorite alcoholic beverage while he adjourned to his bedroom for the night. Unlike Deb, sleep had no trouble finding Mr. Morgan.

* * *

"Hannah fucking McKay escaped!"

Deb's incensed voice pierced through Dexter's quiet morning routine of getting ready for work. Dex was always an early riser; it wasn't even half past six.

_"Good morning to you too, Deb."_

He was buttoning one of his striped collared shirts when his eyes shifted to his bedroom doorway where his sister was standing. She looked tired. Dark circles had replaced the smeared black mascara under her eyes.

"Wow, really? When?" He asked back doing his best to seem completely surprised by the news.

"Yesterday, that sneaky bitch faked a seizure on the transport bus and then escaped custody at the hospital! Do you believe that I'm just finding out about this?"

"Well it is New Years Day which most people take off, and Miami Metro does have a lot on its plate with the Laguerta situation."

Dex mentioning Maria caused Debra to fold her arms and look away from his gaze. The murder she had committed last night was still lingering in the back of her mind and it probably would never go away. Her brown eyes fell upon the black orchid sitting on top of her brother's dresser.

"How many of those fucking plants did Hannah bring over here? They're probably giving us Anthrax or some other poisonous shit. You should get rid of these plants." She commented with venom in her voice while looking on at the plant with disgust.

He breathed a small sigh of relief that Deb had drawn no connection between Hannah's prison break and the new orchid in the apartment. At least she didn't know about his jilted lover reaching out to him after her escape.

"Jamie should be here any minute then I'll take you to pick up your car so you can go home and change before work." He told her, moving the topic of conversation away from Hannah.

"Today is going to suck so much ass. Not only do I have the worst fucking hangover of my life, but I'm going to have to show my face at the station and pretend that nothing happened. I don't think I can do it, Dex." Deb whined while slowly shaking her head as a few tears escaped her eyes.

"It's important that the Lieutenant of Homicide is at the station in the wake of the Captain's death. It would be suspicious if you didn't show up at work today. You'll be fine, Deb. Just stay calm and stick to the plan."

"And you get the day off?"

"No, I'm just going in late. I have to go over to Laguerta's and dispose of all the evidence that could implicate us with her death. Remember, we're sticking with my original plan of making Captain Maria Laguerta look like obsessed and bitter former lover of Sergeant Doakes."

"Jesus fucking Christ..."

Once Jamie arrived, Dexter and Debra set out. The ride to drop Deb off at her car was silent. Her head was pounding and the glare of the Florida sun didn't help. Thankfully, she had left her sunglasses were in her car so she wouldn't be that long without them.

"I'll see you later at the station." muttered Dex as he watched his sister get out of the car.

She slammed the passenger door shut, not bothering to acknowledge him. Dexter sat there for a moment to make sure that his sister was able to get into her automobile before he put his Escape into drive and pulled away.

_" I know that the right thing for me to do would be to go straight to Laguerta's and take care of the evidence then get to the station. It's the logical thing to do since our asses would be on the line if anyone found that evidence, but I can't help being called elsewhere. The fact that Hannah left one of her orchids for me meant that she had been back to her nursery. She could have left something else for me to find."_

He made his way to 4065 S. Begonia Street. The SUV came to a stop on the street beside the white picket fence. Dexter sat there for a few moments, his eyes focused in on the brightly colored "Hannah-Flora Nursery" sign.

Dex thought back to his first encounter with Hannah McKay; keeping things on a last name basis after a botched first attempt at a DNA swabbing. Never before had Dexter had such an innate connection with someone, until he met Hannah. And yet he betrayed his lover for his sister's safety. Dexter had thrown away his happiness, because he always had to put Deb first.

Both the house and the nursery were locked up tight, and there was no sign of Hannah having been there. As Dex slowly made his way back to his Ford Escape, Harry appeared leaning against it waiting for him.

_Harry: "Let her go, Dexter. This was obviously a dead end. Hannah's smart, she probably fled right after dropping that plant off at your doorstep. You need to wrap up things for you and your sister."_

_"No, she's not gone, I feel like she's still nearby."_

_Harry: "You feel?"_

_" Arlene Shram is the only person who Hannah would trust to help her while she's on the run. Maybe she knows where she is. I'll look up her address and pay her a visit after I take care of the evidence."_

_Harry: "What makes you think Arlene will even talk to you? If she is helping Hannah escape, I'm sure Hannah filled her in on how you were responsible for her landing in jail."_

_"I still have to try and talk to her. Hannah's out there somewhere and I need to find her. But first, I need to take care of the evidence."_

Slipping into Captain Laguerta's house was just as easy as before. It was a good thing that it was a holiday, because any other ordinary day, Miami Metro would already be on the scene combing the place over for any evidence that could be linked to Maria's death.

With his white gloves already on, Dexter collected the warrants from Laguerta's desk that still remained unsigned. The disk that contained the footage of Debra filling up gas cans for the church burning was still inside her laptop. And of course, Dexter Morgan found duplicates of the footage as well as all the rest of her research on the hard drive of her computer. A few clicks and all the digital evidence was gone.

He hadn't finished a moment too soon, because just before he was going to slip out of the house, Dex saw a number of black SUVs pull into the driveway.

_"Miami Metro isn't on the case, it's the F.B.I."_

With no time to waste, Dexter exited via the back of the house. That was much too close of a call. If he had waited any longer to arrive and dispose of the evidence, he could have been caught.

_Harry: "I hope you were thorough in there with collecting all the possible evidence that linked you and Debra to the crime."_

_"I took care of it. There isn't anything that could lead them to me or Deb. Give me some credit, would you?"_

_Harry: "I just know that you have a lot on your mind. Ever since Hannah McKay entered you life, you haven't been at the top of your game. You're preoccupied with her, and it's making you make mistakes that the old Dexter would never have made."_

_"Maybe it's because I'm not the same person I was before Hannah."_

* * *

Detective Joey Quinn sat quietly at his desk. His thumbs moved across his phone screen as he texted Jamie how much he had enjoyed her company the night before. The sound of Angel sniffing back congestion caused him to look away from his phone and over at his partner. Joey placed his phone face down and decided he should say something to his mourning co-worker.

Detective Sergeant Batista was sitting hunched over at his desk with the Hector Estrada case file in front of him. He was taking the news of Captain Laguerta's death especially hard given the fact that he was once married to her.

"Angel, you know that no one would blame you for taking today off. I'm just saying." Quinn pointed out as he approached his colleague's desk.

"I just can't believe Maria is gone. It just doesn't make any sense why she would have been meeting Estrada in a shipping container out at the port." Batista whispered softly closing the case file.

"Who knows why, but you do have to admit that Captain Laguerta had been obsessed about the whole "Bay Harbor Butcher still being out there and is Dexter Morgan" theory. She could have thought Estrada was connected to the case somehow. I guess we will never know since the F.B.I. is quietly handling the case. The word is that they think it's pretty open and shut."

Angel shook his head and looked around at the empty station. There were only a handful of cops in the Homicide division who showed up for work on New Year's day, despite the fact that their Captain had been killed. It was similar to the death of James Doakes. Everyone was happy to put it behind them and let the F.B.I. handle it. Sure Maria was not always well liked, she deserved more respect than this.

"One of Miami Metro, one of ours, was murdered last night and it's the F.B.I. who is given the investigation? ¡Esto es una mierda!"

"Maybe it's because all of us in Miami Metro Homicide were too close to Laguerta. You have to be able to be objective when it comes to a murder investigation." Quinn reasoned in a calm voice.

"Something about what happened to Maria just doesn't feel right to me to me." Batista insisted, his eyes then immediately focusing on the elevator door opening.

Debra stepped out of the elevator with a cup of coffee in hand and her glasses still shielding her eyes. A shower and change of clothes had done little to improve her affect. She still felt like the dirty cop who was hiding behind "a big shinny badge". Those were Hannah's words to her, not hers, but they were beginning to resonate with her.

"Fuck me." She breathed under her breath when she saw Angel looking right at her from across the station.

She had hoped that he would have taken the day off to grieve over his ex-wife so that she wouldn't have to face him.

"Hey Deb, I'm glad I could count on you coming in today." Angel told her as she moved toward him and Joey on her way to her office.

"I am the Lieutenant." She muttered, her voice trembling as she looked at the man who had always been like a second older brother to her since she had started her career.

Before she could walk on to her office to get herself out of the awkward situation, the Sergeant rose from his desk and pulled her into his arms for a hug. The fact that he was hugging the person who had murdered his former wife was all it took for Debra to lose her composure.

"I'm so sorry, Angel." She sobbed, hugging him back with one arm, her coffee still in the other.

Her mascara was already beginning to run in black streams from under her sun glasses. Deb's words could not have been more genuine. Shooting Maria was the hardest thing she ever had to do. She had snuffed out the life of another cop to protect herself and her brother. Lieutenant Debra Morgan was a cop killer. God, if her father knew what she did; that thought was too much for her to take.

"Thanks, Deb. We'll all get through this." He whispered to her.

"I-I'll be in my office." muttered Debra after she broke the hug and immediately began to walk at a fast paced toward the sanctuary of her office.

Once alone with the door shut, she closed the blinds, cutting herself off from the rest of the station. Not bothering to turn a light on, she took a seat at her desk where she placed her beverage. Deb removed her sunglasses and set them down in front of her next to the newest photo of her, Dexter, Harrison, and Santa Clause.

Seeing the picture reminded her why she chose to do what she did last night. Dexter and Harrison were the only family she had left since both Harry and Doris Morgan were dead. She didn't want to lose them. It was the only defense she had to explain her actions, yet it didn't make the reality of the situation any easier to cope with.

Debra found her Xanax prescription in the top right draw. Popping open the cap, Deb spilled two pills into the palm of her casted hand. She then tossed the medicine into her mouth and chased it with a sip of coffee. Lieutenant Morgan needed those pills just as much as she needed the caffeinated beverage.

Deb had to take her mind off of Laguerta and focus on finding Hannah McKay. As Lieutenant, she could make finding Hannah her department's top priority. Surely Dexter would be on board since he had given her Sal Price's pen; without that evidence, she wouldn't have been able to make the arrest.

"Shit." muttered Deb aloud to herself.

Debra's eyelids began to feel heavy. The lack of sleep from the night before was catching up with her. She succumbed to her drowsiness and laid her head down on the desk. The search for Hannah was going to have to wait.

* * *

"Dude, I thought you were taking new year's day off." Masuka commented the minute he looked up from his forensic station and saw Dexter walking toward his lab.

"I forgot that I had a few blood reports that I was suppose to submit before the new year. Why are you in today? " He answered back without missing a beat.

"I'm dedicated to Miami Metro forensics...Besides, I struck out big time with my date last night. She got all freaked out when I put on an adult diaper, told I was baby new year, and I wanted to suck her big titties. Huhuhuhuh."

"Too much info, Vince." replied Dexter as he entered his lab and quickly shut the door.

_"Arlene Shram's address shouldn't be hard to find in the Miami Metro database. Hannah had mentioned her having quite the record of drug charges."_

Dex typed her name into the database and hit 'search'. Her information, including her current address, quickly popped up on the screen. He jotted down the address on a nearby pad of paper before making his exit.

It was about a twenty minute drive to Hialeah, which was where Arlene lived. The front walkway leading to the home was littered with children's toys and Dex could hear the sound of kids playing from inside the home before he even rang the bell. When he did make his presence known, the red head opened the chain locked door just enough so that she could peer out at him.

"Who are you?" Arlene asked inquisitively.

"Dexter Morgan, I'm Hannah's-"

"Oh, you, Hannah mentioned you. What do you want?"

It was then that Dexter realized that Hannah had not only told her friend that he was her lover, but also that he had betrayed her and landed her in jail. Judging by Arlene's demeanor, it was doubtful that she would be of any help to him.

"I just want to find Hannah." He answered back truthfully before he could even consider being more tactful and deceitful.

"Why, so you can have your cop sister throw her in jail again?"

"No, I'm worried about her. Have you seen her or has she tried to contact you at all?"

"I don't know anything. The last thing I would ever do is risk going to jail and losing my kids. So you can tell that skanky detective that I haven't seen Hannah since her arraignment."

Dex sighed and shook his head. Debra had clearly threatened the woman with jail time for cooperation. He had to convince her that he and Deb were on two completely different sides when it came to Hannah.

"Look, I love Hannah. She left a plant on my apartment doorstep. I think she wants me to find her, where ever she is."

Arlene looked off to the side. She was contemplating whether or not she should buy into Mr. Morgan's seemingly heartfelt expression of love. She and Hannah had looked out for each other as young teenagers, so of course she was cautious about trusting him.

"Please, Arlene. I need to find her. If the police find her before I do then they'll send her off to a super maximum security prison for the rest of her life." Dexter pleaded. His voice sounded strained as he actually found himself fighting back tears. The thought of never seeing Hannah again was overwhelming him.

She let out a long sigh and then bit her lip to show her indecisiveness. Dexter did give some valid reasons for trying to locate her friend. The last time Hannah had gone on the run with Wayne, she hadn't gotten far at all before getting caught.

"Wait here, I'll be back." She finally told him before closing the door.

He stood there on the front porch for a solid four minutes before the front door opened again, this time completely. With a fresh cigarette in her mouth, Arlene handed Dexter a small torn off piece of paper.

"She called my cell from that number this morning. I tried calling it back since, but no one picks up. She asked me if I knew of anyone who could score her a fake passport and drivers license." Ms. Shram explained before taking a drag from her cigarette.

"Thanks, I appreciate this." Dex said holding the small piece of paper up.

"If you do get in contact with her, tell her to be careful out there. A girl's gotta protect herself."

Dexter nodded and flashed a small smile after hearing Arlene echo Hannah's words. Thanks to Shram, he had his first piece of real evidence to go on. Harry appeared sitting in Dexter's passenger seat the moment Dexter got back into his SUV.

_Harry: "Not much of a lead, Dex. Hannah probably borrowed a random stranger's cell phone or used a payphone for a quick call before taking a flight out of Florida. Arlene mentioned that she couldn't even get her by calling the number."_

_"No, Hannah's lying low. Arlene also mentioned that Hannah had asked her about finding someone who could get her a fake passport and ID. She can't hop a flight without any identification. No, she's still here in Florida somewhere, I know it. I can run the number in the database and see what bounces back."_

Dexter drove home instead of going back to the station. He could easily do a trace on the phone number from his laptop. Upon entering the apartment, he found Harrison playing on the living room floor with his train set while Jamie walked around collecting clothing into a laundry basket.

"Hey Dex, you're home early. I was going to take Harrison to the park in a little bit, if you want to join us." Jamie offered.

"I'd love to, but I only stopped home for some files I need for a case."

Harrison was all smiles to see his daddy home from work early. His little eyes followed his father to the desk where Dex sat down to use his laptop. Jamie left living room to start a wash of clothes.

With the slip of paper in hand, Dex brought up the internet which defaulted to the Netrangler web search. He was going to start with the simplest search method and go from there. He began typing the number into the search bar when his son approached him.

"Hey buddy, you having fun playing with your trains? What do you have there?" Dex asked with a smile when he saw that Harrison had come over to him with a picture frame in his hand. He lifted three year old into his lap.

"Daddy and Hannah." The child replied, revealing the silver framed picture to his father.

It was the same picture that Hannah had given Dexter on Christmas Eve. Dex sighed, focusing his eyes on the framed photograph. He looked so happy in it; the happy times with his lover before everything went to shit. This was the second time Harrison had brought up Hannah in the last two days.

"You miss Hannah?" He asked his son.

The three year old nodded before he brought the photo up to his chest and hugged it. The few times Dexter had brought his child around his girlfriend had obviously made an impression.

"Daddy misses her too. Let's see if we can find her." Dex whispered into Harrison's ear before going back to typing in the phone number. He tapped the enter key and the results quickly showed up on the screen.

_"Instant match, a payphone just outside of Miami. That explains why Arlene couldn't call her back. Let me run the address of the payphone and see what's there."_

More typing ensued before Dexter sat back in his chair and surveyed the results with Harrison.

_"What are the chances of the payphone being next to a shitty motel? She's probably staying there, or at least she was when she made the call. It's worth checking out."_

"I'm going back out. It might be a late night for me." Dexter informed Jamie when she came back into the living room. He handed off Harrison to her and was on his way.

The motel was only a few miles outside of Miami. The GPS calculated his best route as he took to the highway. It was when he was just leaving the Miami limits that his cell phone rang. The words "Deb's cell" displayed. His sister was the last person he felt like talking to right now. She was calling to bitch him out for not being at the station like he had promised her he would be. His thumb tapped the "Ignore" button, letting Debra's call go to voice mail.

The motel was a few miles off the highway on a back road that seem to not get a lot of traffic. It would certainly be an ideal location for someone who was on the lam. The graffiti covered payphone booth stood to the side of the motel manager's office. Only a handful of other automobiles were parked in the spaces in front of the rooms. Dexter parked his Escape in the space closest to the office and got out.

"Rentin' a room by the hour?" A rather large balding man asked Dex from behind a counter as soon as Morgan entered the office.

"No, I was wondering if you could help me. My girlfriend and I got into a fight last night and I think she might have rented a room here."

"She a blonde, hot piece of ass with an attitude?" The man then asked before spitting tobacco into a cup.

"Yeah, she'd definitely fit that description." Dexter replied with a nod.

"She's in room four."

"Thanks.."

Dexter left the office and began making his way to the motel room with a '4' on the door. He could actually feel his heart pounding in his chest with every step he took. She was there, only a few feet away from him. He had no idea that he was going to be able to find her so easily. He stopped at the correct door and breathed in deeply. Dex wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say to her. The last time he had seen her was in the prison visiting room where she bit his lip and said goodbye.

He knocked lightly on the door before saying her name. Nothing.

"Hannah, it's Dexter."

A chain lock clacked, the door unlocked, and then it opened. There was Hannah McKay. She was wearing a black top and jeans instead of the orange D.O.C. jumpsuit. Her blue eyes pierced through him as she immediately stared intently. Dexter couldn't tell if she was surprised to see him. Hannah was keeping her emotions close to the vest. The awkward silence between them was mounting until finally she spoke:

"Hello, Dexter..."


	2. Episode 2: Nice Blade

Dexter just stood there taking in the sight of the woman he was in love with; his femme fatale, Hannah McKay. He sharply drew in a breath before asking the first question that popped into his mind:

"How did you escape?"

Hannah quickly gave an eyebrow raise before folding her arms in front of her chest.

"Does that really matter? You were ready to let me rot in prison." She answered back, leaning in against the door frame. Her bitterness over his betrayal was still evident in her voice.

"You know why." Dex quickly replied, not wanting to let her forget about the poisoned water bottle.

Hannah gave a forced laugh and then smiled. Her tongue casually wet her lips before she spoke again.

"How did you find me?"

"Does that really matter?" He breathed, repeating her same words back to her which caused her to smirk.

"No." she paused, raising an eyebrow, "Coming in?"

Hannah slowly took a step to the side to give him access to her motel room. Without even taking a second to think about it, Dexter crossed the threshold and allowed Hannah to close the door. The room was a dump. The motel rooms had obviously been decorated and furnished in the 1970s because it was complete with a shag carpet and wood panel color TV.

After giving the shitty motel room a quick eye scan, he went to turn back around to face Hannah, but was quickly met with a switchblade knife being pressed to his throat. He swallowed hard; a bit startled. Their eyes locked before he spoke:

"Nice blade." Dexter breathed, almost like he was impressed.

"Little something I kept from my time with Wayne..." explained Hannah, leaning in close. He could feel her breath on his face.

"Quite the memento." He commented back with a quick raise of both eyebrows.

"Why did you come here? To lead your sister to me so she can arrest me again?" Hannah then asked putting a small amount of pressure on the blade that caused Dex to suck in air.

"Deb only knows that you escaped. She has no idea that I found you. I kept her in the dark."

Hannah smirked, her brilliant blue eyes darted to the carpet. She letting out a scoff, sweeping a blonde strand of hair from her face with the small swing of her head. Before she spoke, their eyes met again.

"Protecting me from your sister? You don't expect me to believe that, do you?" She questioned. Her voice now quivering with anger. The knife blade remained steadily pressed against him.

"It's the truth. I love-"

Dexter stopped talking mid-sentence when he felt the knife cut into his flesh. It wasn't deep, just far enough to draw blood and cause him to wince in pain.

"No, Dexter, if you really loved me then you would have gotten your sister to back off so I didn't have to matters into my own hands!"

"Deb's my little sister, and you should have come to me and let me handle it before you tried to kill her!" He raised his voice back, not backing down an inch despite the fact that she had cut into him.

Hannah shook her head and then there was a silence. Dexter thought that she was going to lower the knife, but instead she kept it steady and spoke through grit teeth:

"You killed my father. So you're the only one of us who can kill family members who get in the way? You're a fucking hypocrite, just like Debra."

She had a point. Dexter's reason behind disposing of Clint McKay was to protect Hannah. Their future would have been compromised by that degenerate hustler who would sell out his own family for quick cash. Hannah had seen Deb in the same light. Despite any attempts of being reasoned with, his sister was dead set against letting them have their happily ever after.

Dex let out a deep sigh. He could feel the warm trickle of blood streaming down his neck. At any moment, she could decide to go deeper into him, slitting his throat. Dexter knew he could stop her if he wanted, but somehow, having his life in her hands was an adrenaline rush that aroused him. In one quick motion, his right hand grabbed hold of her hand that was holding the switchblade.

"One clean knife stroke across the neck. Sever the carotid artery and the jugular vein and I bleed out in a matter of seconds." He said in a low voice while he moved her hand to rest the blade at each location on his neck that he was referring to.

Hannah's chest rose and fell rapidly. She allowed him the freedom of moving the knife to either side of his neck while he expertly explained the most effective way to end his life. She could tell that he was surrendering to her fully.

"You said that we could never trust each other..." Hannah reminded him in a hushed whisper as she felt his hand lift from hers and then drop to his side.

While Dexter didn't forget the fact that he had told her that when he visited her in prison, at this moment in time, he was willing to put all of his trust in her. Maybe it was because he was banking on the fact that despite her anger, she still loved him. Or maybe it was because he loved her too and could sense that she wouldn't go through with it.

"Do what you gotta to do..." He breathed.

Hannah drew in a breath and held it. Slowly, she brought her face closer to his until their foreheads touched. When she finally exhaled, they breathed in unison. She retracted the knife.

"Hannah..." sighed Dex before he brought his lips to hers.

The kiss was tender at first, but quickly became passionate as Hannah dropped her knife and wrapped her arms around Dexter's neck. Then, just as suddenly as it had happened in the prison, she bit down hard on his lip in the exact same place she had before.

Dex pulled away as he growled in pain. Hannah gave him an evil grin, her eyes focusing on the blood that began to pour out from what had been a scab. Instead of wiping away the blood, Dexter caught her off guard by grabbing her by the throat and pushing her back into the hotel wall. Hannah winced when the back of her head hit into the dated wallpaper.

She smiled and quickly raised her eyebrows. She was loving the rough foreplay, especially because he had that look on his face. He was showing her that side of him that she had first witnessed at Santa's Adventure the night he was planning on killing her.

Dexter's grasp on her throat tightened causing Hannah's mouth to gape open. When it did, he moved in and began kissing her again. She brought her hands to his face compelling him to loosen his grip so that she could kiss him back. His blood smeared across their mouths and tongues, before Dex caught her bottom lip with his teeth and clammed down on it.

"Ahh!" Hannah cried out, a chunk of pink skin ripped free.

He let go of Hannah's lip when he tasted her blood. She then glared at him with an intensity that was surely driven by lust. Hannah used her tongue to try and wipe the blood away, but it continued to pool where the skin had been. And then, she made her move by grabbing hold of two handfuls of his shirt , twisted him around in order to turn the tables on him. His back slammed against the wall and she immediately brought her bloody mouth to his neck. She traced her tongue along the length of the cut her knife had made, evoking a moan. Morgan could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He closed his eyes and breathed deep when he then felt soft bloody kisses moving up the side of his neck.

Without warning came a rush of pain when she gave his neck a quick bite. He gritted his teeth and grimaced before clawing the back of her head with his hand, entwining his fingers in her golden wavy hair. He used his strength to regain his dominate position, with her back up against the hotel wall. This time, his hands moved down to her jeans. Fingers fiddled with the button and zipper before he ripped the denim down in one forceful motion to expose her bare lower half. Hannah quickly stepped out of her jeans right before Dexter lifted her up off her feet and pinned her up against the wall.

Hannah's chest was heaving. She was completely turned on by the fact that he was dominating her with the same ferociousness that he had once saved only for his dark passenger's deeds. Her hands began to caress his face as he worked on opening his khaki pants. The sound of his zipper running down its tracks was quickly followed by him fully thrusting into her. The force caused Hannah to slam her head back into the wall as she let out a cry that was of both pain and pleasure. Dexter brought his forehead to hers, their breathing staggered as he found a fast rhythm to move by. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and the bloody kisses resumed.

* * *

Debra muttered a string of obscenities as she struggled to navigate through the contact list on her phone while unlocking her beach house door. This was going to be her second attempt of trying to get a hold of him today. Finally, she found her brother's name from the list and selected it. She brought the phone to her ear and it started to ring.

"Fuck me, Dexter, answer your fucking phone!" Deb screamed aloud in frustration when the line continued to ring.

She had shuffled into her beach abode. Her handbag, she carelessly tossed onto her dining table before finally hearing Dexter's voice mail recording. At the beep, she spoke:

"Dex, it's me, where the hell are you? I sure as shit didn't see you at the station today. Can you just come over to my place after you get this message? The last thing I want to do is spend the evening alone. Just please come over, I don't care what time it is when you get this message. It's not like I'm going to sleep a fucking wink anyway. Bye."

Deb ended the call and placed her phone down on the table. She couldn't help but wonder what had her brother so preoccupied that he wouldn't answer her calls. Perhaps he was out fulfilling his need to kill; as if two deaths in a shipping container the night before wasn't enough to quench his appetite for death. It made her sick to her stomach to even think about.

Her next move was to the kitchen. More specifically, her refrigerator for a cold beer. The metal cap twisted off with ease. She threw it in the general direction of her trash can without even caring about whether or not it made it in. All she cared about was taking that first long swig of beer. Debra exhaled in a long sigh. She needed that .

Surely she could find something on TV to keep her occupied until Dexter's arrival, however late that was going to be. Deb plopped down in one of her living room chairs with her beer still in hand. It was when she leaned over to her side table for the remote, that she froze. Her eyes focused in on the rectangular framed photograph.

The photo had been meant to capture the biggest accomplishment of her career: her promotion to Lieutenant of homicide. Setting her beer down on the coffee table, she then grabbed hold of the picture and brought it to her. Her brilliant brown eyes studied it. Debra Morgan was smiling proudly in the photograph, dressed in her navy blue police uniform, Mathews to her right, and to her left: the then newly appointed Captain Maria Laguerta. The woman who had presented her as the youngest officer ever to make Lieutenant at that press conference. The very same woman she had murdered with a single gunshot to the chest a day before.

Debra broke the silence with a strangled cry. She had been trying to hold it back, but it was no use. The sight of herself in uniform, the same uniform her father had worn, while she stood in between her father's best friend and the woman she killed for her brother, was far too overwhelming. It was truly clear to her how far she had fallen: From the determined cop who had fought to climb the ranks of Miami Metro to a basket case who was willing to cover up crimes and murder to protect her serial killer brother. And it was all Dexter's fault. Her finding out about his side job as the Bay Harbor Butcher was what set her fall from grace into motion.

Debra's tear stained face contorted in anger. She propelled the framed picture through the air. It hit her wall hard; shattering the glass upon impact before it even hit the floor. Deb then shot out of the chair and picked up her beer bottle. She stomped over to her dining room table where she had left her handbag. Forcing it open, she then removed her Xanax prescription bottle. Morgan dispensed three pills into her hand and shoved them into her mouth. She brought the beer bottle to her mouth and threw her head back, gulping down the alcohol and Alprazolam.

* * *

Dexter's eyes blinked opened and closed a few times before he was fully awake. Hannah was asleep in his arms, her head resting on his chest. The white bed sheet was twisted around their naked bodies as they laid together in the messy bed. Running his tongue over his lip, he tasted the dried blood. Dex's eyes shifted to the old Cartex digital clock on the nightstand. 5:36 AM. He gently stroked the side of Hannah's face, brushing back her blonde hair.

_"I can't begin to make sense out of what Hannah and I have. It is definitely the most intimate connection I've had with anyone. And that's saying a lot coming from someone who once thought that he was a monster not capable of human emotions."_

Hannah stirred slightly in her sleep before her blue eyes opened. She smiled at him before bringing her hand to his face, guiding his lips to hers for a soft kiss.

_"But Hannah loves me; All of me. My darkness neither scared nor consumed her. She helped me understand it better. Despite my betrayal, Hannah broke out of prison instead of turning against me for a plea deal, unlike what she did to Wayne Randall. And I can't even imagine my future without her in it. I don't want to admit that my feelings for her run that deep even after what she did to Deb, but they do."_

"Morning." She whispered in the early morning darkness. "Who knew angry make-up sex could be so cathartic?"

"Yeah." Dex replied with a small chuckle.

He shifted his body and sat up in the bed causing Hannah to narrow her eyes. It was too early for him to be cutting their time together short.

"Where are you going? I doubt it's even six o'clock yet." She commented rolling onto her side to face him.

"I'm going to get dressed, clean myself up in the bathroom, and then get us some fresh bagels for breakfast. I saw a bakery when I got off the highway not far from here."

"That sounds nice, kind of early though. Not that I object, I am starving."

"I have to get back to the apartment before Jamie and Harrison wake up, that way they'll think I just came home from work late." He explained as he flicked on a light and began getting dressed.

"How is Harrison?" Hannah asked with a smile. She hadn't seen the little guy since Christmas Eve.

"He's good, keeps asking for you. I think you really made an impression on him. He really likes you."

"Well, I really like him..."

Dexter smiled in response to her comment. He put on his underwear and then his khaki pants that had been laying in a jumbled mess with his and Hannah's clothing on the floor. Upon putting on his them on, he reached into his back pocket and removed his phone to check for messages.

Hannah ran her tongue over her bottom lip that was still stained with blood. Sitting up in bed, she brought one of the pillows to her naked torso and hugged it. She was contemplating what she was going to say next, and there was a long pause before she spoke again.

"Dexter, do you want more kids?" She finally asked before biting the side of her bottom lip that wasn't cut.

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it." He replied honestly while his thumb navigated his missed call list where he saw his sister's name twice with a voice mail too. He would wait until he was out getting breakfast to listen to it.

Hannah could see that he was preoccupied and decided to drop the topic. There would be much to discuss over breakfast; not only the question of whether or not they were back together, but also what her next move would be as a fugitive of the law. She couldn't hide out in a shitty motel room forever.

Once fully dress, Dexter went into the bathroom and washed off all the dry blood from his face and neck. The small straight cut from the knife was still visible as well as the scabbed cut on his lip.

"Coffee and a bagel assortment?" Dex asked Hannah when he returned to her, fishing for his car keys in his pocket.

"Can I get some juice instead of coffee?" She asked with a smile cocking her head to the side slightly.

"Sure, I'll be right back." responded Dex before giving her a quick peck on the forehead.

The first thing that Dexter did upon getting into his Ford Escape was pull out his phone and listen to the voice mail that Debra had left him.

_"Shit. Deb expected me to keep her company last night. I'm going to have to get over there before work and try and smooth things over."_

Harry appeared in the passenger seat with his arms folded.

_Harry: "If you weren't preoccupied with Hannah last night, you would have answered Debra's call. What was that last night, Dex? She holds a knife to your neck and you end up spending the night with her?"_

Harry looked at his adopted son with a look of confusion and disapproval. Dexter let out a long sigh before shooting him an angry stare.

_"That's none of your business. Hannah and I work through our issues different than most couples. We'll leave it at that."_

_Harry: "I'm not trying to judge you, Son, but, she tried to kill your sister. Who's to say she wouldn't try it again? You can't possibly believe that there is any kind of a future for you and Hannah."_

_"Hannah only went after Deb when she saw her as a threat. If I can convince Deb to back off-"_

_Harry:"You weren't able to do that before. What makes you think you can get Debra to leave her alone when now she has a personal reason to want to see her back behind bars?"_

_"Because now Deb has killed someone to protect us; Just like Hannah killed Price. If I can make Deb aware of that, then maybe she will drop her obsession of seeing Hannah brought to justice."_

The trip to the bakery was uneventful. Dexter was the first customer of the morning and bagels were nice and fresh. He had decided that time was of the essence and that he would drop breakfast off to Hannah before heading back home to Miami. He still had to grab a shower and change of clothes before checking in on Deb.

A knock on the motel room door and Hannah answered dressed in her clothing from the day before. Her blonde hair was damp as evidence of a shower. She stepped away from the door to allow him in.

"I got you some orange juice and an assortment of bagels with cream cheese. I didn't know what you liked so I got you a bit of everything." Dex explained handing her both the glass bottle of juice and the bakery bag.

"Are you not going to have breakfast with me? We still need to talk about some things."

She sat down on the bed with her legs crossed in front of her.

"No, sorry, I have to get back to Miami. Deb had called last night and left a message. She sounded really upset. She's been dealing with a lot of stress lately so I wanted to get over to her place before work to check on her." He admitted.

"What's got her so stressed out? Me escaping?" She went on to question before taking her first taste of the orange juice.

"That and some other stuff that I can't get into right now. I'm sorry I can't stay. I'll bring you dinner tonight after work and we can talk then, okay?"

Hannah nodded to silently show that she understood and accepted the fact that their time together was going to be put on hold until later. She was going to be spending her day in that shitty motel room watching the handful of channels available on the television that was older than her.

"Just try and lay low like you've been doing. If anything comes up, you can call my cell from that payphone."

"I'll be fine. I've got bagels." She told him with a smile and an eyebrow raise as she brought a seasoned bagel out from the bag and held it up.

"Oh, and just in case you need some cash." said Dex reaching into his back pocket to grab his wallet.

"Look at us, in a shit hole motel room the morning after you screwed me and your pulling out your wallet." Hannah chuckled with a smile while she began to spread the cream cheese over the bagel with the plastic knife provided.

He narrowed his eyes slightly as his mind painted the picture she provided him with. He hadn't even thought of that. The fact that Hannah found it a funny coincidence made him chuckle too before replying:

"I don't think prostitutes get bought breakfast." He pointed out with a smirk while pulling out a twenty dollar bill.

"I'm sure the high dollar girls do. The ones worth more than twenty dollars a night." She said returning the smirk. They both started to laugh before McKay replied:

"But seriously, I've got cash. I had Arlene withdraw money from my bank account and leave it at my place before I escaped. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can. It doesn't mean I still don't worry." He admitted putting the money away.

Dexter leaned in and gave her a soft peck on the lips. He then retreated toward the door. The moment he placed his hand on the door knob, Hannah said three words that made him freeze in place.

"I love you."

Dex inhaled sharply and held it. There was something about actually hearing her say it aloud that struck a chord with him. Sure they had erotic passion the night before, but this was the first time since he had sent her to prison that one of them had said those three words. He had tried to do so at knife point, but at the time she wasn't having it. But now, in the aftermath of their post-coital bliss, things had changed.

"I love you too." He breathed, finally letting his air from his chest. It felt good to say it back to her and know that he really meant it. He wasn't just going through the motions like he had done in the first few years of his relationship with Rita.

* * *

The drive back to Miami took a little longer than the drive to the motel yesterday. Luckily it was early enough that when he arrived back at the apartment, Jamie and Harrison were both still asleep. It was after a shower and a change of clothing that they were up having breakfast. Like usual, Jamie was easily convinced by his excuse of working late. She even bought his explanation of a razor causing the cut on his neck. If only Deb would be that easy to convince about where and what he had been doing last night.

With a box of Sadie's donuts and a cardboard carrier holding two cups of coffee, Dexter approached the door to his sister's beach house. He struggled for a brief moment in order to knock on a door.

"Deb, it's me!" He shouted aloud after a minute of seeing no response from inside the house.

The key under the doormat provided Dexter with access to the home. He set the breakfast down on Debra's dining table before venturing further to find her.

"Deb? I brought breakfast." announced Dex, breaking the silence.

He noticed the broken picture frame on the carpet in her living room and quickly called out her name again.

Without a reply from his sister, Dexter quickened his pace and went right into her bedroom. There he found her sprawled out on her bed with her clothing from the day before still on. Of course he only guessed it was the clothes from yesterday because of how wrinkled they were. She had clearly slept in them.

"Deb? You okay?" He asked giving her shoulder a gentle nudge in an attempt to wake her.

Upon being touched, Debra's body flinched and she lifted her head off the mattress.

"What the fuck time is it?" She inquired with only one eye open.

"It's a little after seven. I brought over some donuts and coffee." Dexter replied taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Shove it up your ass, where the hell were you last night? Do you not even look at your phone? I left you a message asking you to get your ass over here!" She hollered sitting straight up before climbing out of bed.

She let out a sigh before bringing her hand to her head. It felt like a migraine was setting in. She could really use another Xanax just to deal with the shit the day was already throwing at her.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I got lost track of time. I was wrapping up the last of the Laguerta stuff and then I took the boat out to-"

"Spare me the bullshit, Dex. I know what you were doing last night." muttered Debra, cutting him off from finishing her explanation.

"You do?" Dexter asked back with a frown.

There really was no way she could have known he spent the night with Hannah. Was there? If she did, Deb would have found out where Hannah was hiding out and would have been there to arrest her.

"You were doing what you do. No doubt that cut on your neck and your busted lip had something to do with it. And just so were mother fucking crystal clear: I don't want anything to do with it. I'm done."

Debra couldn't even bring herself to actually say the words "kill" or "murder". Her mind was being plagued by all of it. The last thing she needed was for it to come out of her mouth. But she had no control over that. There was no escaping death and murder with her being the Lieutenant of Homicide. The irony was astounding.

He breathed a small sigh of relief and nodded slowly.

_"My sister is under the impression that I was out killing someone last night instead of having sex with the woman who tried to kill her. I call that a win."_

"Fair enough..." Dex breathed while getting to his feet.

His phone vibrated and sent out a tone that signaled he had an incoming message. He removed it from his back pocket and saw that it was Miami Metro notifying him of a crime scene.

"Looks like we're going to have to eat breakfast on the way to a crime scene." He reported aloud.

"Fuck me, just go ahead and go. I'll meet you there."

He nodded in agreement and left his sister to get ready for the work day. Taking his cup of coffee and donut, he exited the beach house and began to travel to the address Miami Metro had provided him with.

* * *

Dexter pulled his Escape into an abandon parking lot of what used to be a department store over a decade ago; The lot had been vacant ever since. He put on his white latex gloves before grabbing his kit from the back of his SUV. Flashing his Forensics laminate allowed access under the yellow tape as he walked to the scene.

"What do have here, Vince?"

"Pretty gruesome stuff, and you know that's saying a lot coming from me. Two victims presumed to be mother and child. Both with complete laceration of the carotid arteries. No indications of sexual assault. My guess is that they were dumped out here. Estimated time of death for both victims is last night around eight o'clock judging by the condition of the bodies. We found the woman's ransacked purse a few feet away, identifies her as Audrey Jenner of Miami Florida. The female child, I'm guessing, is around the age of three." Masuka explained after he looked up from his clipboard.

Dexter carefully walked up to where both of the victims were lying on the pavement. His eyes scanned the blood and then the rest of the surrounding area. Batista noticed him investigating and approached him.

_"I had described the act of slitting someone's throat to Hannah during our twisted game of foreplay. The sick irony of these murders isn't lost on me."_

"Ay dios mio, shit like this gets to me. My Auri was once this age. What does the blood say, Dexter?"

"Starting with the adult victim: The outward pooling of the blood underneath the Audrey Jenner indicates that the murder slit her throat at this scene. And judging by depth and angle of incision along her neck, the murderer sliced her open while standing behind her." Dex explained.

"So the murderer didn't just dump them out here. This is the actual spot where the murders took place?"

"Yeah, but she was also moved after she was cut. A larger pool to the left suggests that the victim fell face first. She was then turned over."

Dexter crouched down beside the victim before continuing his analysis of the scene:

"There is a white ring around her finger on her left hand. My guess is that it was a wedding ring. It was removed post-mortem. Judging by the patterned abrasions on her wrists, her hands were bound together by some kind of braided rope."

"And the little girl?" Batista asked as Morgan moved over to the other body.

The body was lying face down in the sea of red. Dexter carefully turned her over so that he could comment on the younger victim.

"The positioning of the body in relationship to the adult suggest that the child tried to run. One of her shoes is missing, there was a significant struggle before..." Dexter trailed off while his eyes still focused on the little girl.

_"She looks to be about Harrison's age. I will never understand how someone could do something so heinous to someone still so sweet and innocent. It's pretty scary to think that there are people out there who have much more darkness inside of them than I do."_

"Do we have any kind of a motive for this?" Quinn asked not even wanting to look down at the gruesome crime scene before him.

"My guess is theft. I think that the victims were carjacked by the perpetrator. They were driven to this remote lot that had no lights or security cameras. He forced them out of the vehicle and killed them."

"But why kill them? Why not just take the car and throw them out on in the street and peel out if that was all he wanted?" Joey asked.

"No witnesses, maybe the victims saw his face or knew who he was. He could have panicked and decided to dispose of them quickly." Dex explained.

"We're working on getting an identification for the child by notifying the next of kin. Quinn, check the DMV records and find out the make and model of the vehicle registered to Audrey Jenner, if there is one. We'll put out an APB on it."

"You should make a few phone calls to the local chop and pawn shops. If this guy is a thief, he'll be looking to turn a profit. I'd get a detailed description of the wedding ring from the spouse. My money is on the murder pawning it." advised Dexter.

"Holy shitload of fuck, Jesus!" Debra exclaimed the moment she arrived at the crime scene. She, like everyone else, was taken aback by the sight.

"Okay, umm, what do we have here?" She then asked, doing her best to reign herself in and do her job. The Lieutenant of Homicide wasn't allowed to be rattled by a crime scene.

Masuka did his best on filling her in on the evidence they had gathered of the crime thus far. Dexter noticed her looking at him the entire time Vince was speaking to her. He decided to shrug it off and begin to collect DNA swabs from underneath both sets of hands of the victims.

"You're looking for a carjacker, how about fucking fugitive Hannah McKay?" Deb offered folding her arms in front of her while her eyes focused on her brother.

"Hannah McKay? Am I missing something? What at this crime scene points to her?" Joey questioned looking at the Lieutenant like she had pulled the name out of her ass.

"Nothing, Hannah would never do anything like this." Dexter quickly responded with his eyes narrowed. He felt anger beginning to build inside him.

"Tell that to the woman she killed when with Wayne Randall. How did she kill her again? With a fucking knife?" Debra responded with hateful sarcasm causing Dex to stand upright.

"I don't think this fits. Reports on the Wayne Randall spree killings said the victims were stabbed repeatedly in the chest. These victims were cut once, across the throat. And Hannah escaped two days ago, these victims were killed last night." Joey explained, he was trying to give her the clear cut facts.

_"Hannah didn't do this. I was with her last night at the time of the murders. But, I doubt Deb would much like to hear the details of the alibi. And the knife; The lacerations on both victims were from a thick wide blade like that of a hunting knife, not a switchblade like Hannah's. "_

"We're talking about the cold blooded murder of a small child here, Deb. Do you really think Hannah McKay would be capable of that?" Angel asked with a surprised look on his face.

"I wouldn't have fucking named her as our suspect if I didn't! She will kill ANYONE who gets in her way! And that mother and child were in the way of having a vehicle to escaping Miami in!" Debra snapped back causing everyone at the scene to turn their attention toward her.

Dexter sprung into action by grabbing his sister by the arm in an attempt to lead her away from the crime scene so they could talk in private. She jerked away from his grasp causing him her in a whisper through his gritted teeth:

"We need to talk, follow me."

Reluctantly, Debra accompanied her brother underneath the yellow "do not cross" police tape and to the outer edge of the parking lot. They put some distance between them and the rest of Miami Metro so that they could both speak freely without worrying about being overheard.

"You need to get a hold of yourself. You can't come off half cocked with a wild theory about Hannah just because you hate her and want to make her Miami Metro's top priority to find. It's just going to make you look like you are cracking under the stress of Laguerta's murder." He warned.

"Maybe it's because I fucking am..." Debra muttered, on the verge of tears. She fought them back and glanced over at her team who was looking in their direction before looking back at him.

"Dex, you might be able to go on with your life like nothing happened, but I can't. Laguerta may have been a huge bitch and a pain in the ass, but she didn't deserve to die."

"So what does that have to do with Hannah? We both know that she didn't commit these murders. She would never hurt a child. I've seen her with Harrison. She's great with him."

The thought of Hannah McKay being trusted around her nephew sickened her stomach. What if it was Harrison that she had decided to poison? Her brother had sworn to her that he would never let any harm come to his family after Trinity killed Rita, and yet he trusted a murderer with his son.

"What the hell did that manipulative bitch do to you to make you so blind to what she is? She tried to kill me, Dexter, maybe you fucking forgot about that, so I'm bringing it up again! Hannah McKay is a danger to your family!" Deb hollered with the hope that her words would sink into her brother's thick skull.

"No, she tried to kill you, just you."

"And what, do you don't think it could have been Harrison?" She interjected.

"No, she only poisoned you because you threatened to arrest her for Sal Price's murder. You know that she would never have went after you if you would have just accepted my relationship with her."

Debra's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what had just come out of his mouth. Did he really believe what he was saying?

"Are you fucking kidding me? It's my fault now that Hannah tried to kill me because I could give a shit about your sick fucking romance with a killer? Fuck you." She scoffed before she began to walk away from him.

"Wait, Deb." Dexter piped, making an attempt to stop her. "I'm sorry. I know how upset you are after what you had to do to Maria. And I know that focusing all your attention on Hannah seems like a good distraction so that you don't have to think about what happened that night, but-"

"No, Dex, bringing Hannah to justice isn't a distraction for me, it's going to be my redemption. When I put that murdering bitch behind bars, I will prove to myself that I'm still the cop I was before you pulled me into the mind-fuck of a nightmare that is your life."

"You are still that same cop. You took care of Laguerta to protect the both of us. You had no choice, because she was going to destroy both of our lives with the evidence that she had. Hannah killing Price was the same thing. He found out that I was seeing her and was threatening to put me in his next book about her. She killed him to protect me. Sometimes, life just needs to be taken." explained Dexter.

He was doing his best to show her how Hannah and her had both killed for very similar reasons. His hope was that drawing parallels between them would make Debra see that Hannah McKay wasn't the inhuman monster she was making her out to be.

"No, Dexter, I'm nothing like her. I'm a police officer for Miami Metro Homicide. I spent my life protecting and saving lives, not ending and destroying them. This conversation is over. That bitch is going down."

With that, Debra turned her back on her brother and began making her way back to the crime scene to deal with a few reports who had shown up on the scene.

_"Deb's right. Our conversation about Hannah is over. I now know that that I can't convince her to call off her hunt for Hannah McKay. She's obsessed, and that's when Deb is most dangerous. If I was able to find Hannah in a day's search, then my sister will quickly be on her trail too."_

Sergeant Batista was quick to approach Dexter when he went back to the crime scene to collect his forensic kit. No doubt he was going to be asking about Debra's odd behavior and the visibly heated conversation that he had had with his sister in private.

"I don't mean to get in the middle of what looks like a family problem, but-"

"No, Angel, it's fine. It's just that Deb is taking Maria's death really hard. It really bothers her to lose one of our own. She's been really distraught about it." Morgan explained while compiling his kit.

"I don't blame her. Maria's death is affecting all of us. Deb's a good cop, but her behavior today...You should try and speak with her about taking some personal time." Batista suggested.

"What do you think that private conversation was about? You know, Deb, her way of dealing with something is to work more hours. Maybe you could try and convince her that taking a break would be in her best interest." replied Dex. He was putting the task of talking to Deb about taking time off right back on Angel. Perhaps if the idea came from him, she would be more likely to comply.

"My job is done here. I'll have the blood report on your desk by tomorrow morning." He added before making a quick exit.

He had all the blood evidence he needed to spit out a report. What he now had to focus on was what he had to do about Hannah. He took his white latex gloves off, put his kit back in the Escape, and then climbed into the driver seat. Of course, it was Harry who appeared sitting next to him as soon as he started the engine.

_Harry: "I'm not going to say I told you so, Dex, but could have you seen that conversation with Debra going any differently? You can't expect her to forgive and forget. If you care about Hannah, then you need to help her disappear."_

Dexter closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

_"I don't want her to disappear..."_

_Harry: "Well it's either that or Debra will arrest her again and she'll be back in prison. You have two options; The result of both are the same: you aren't going to be able to be with her, son. I'm sorry."_

_"I should have never given Deb that pen. If I hadn't then Hannah and I could have been together for the rest of our lives; growing old together..."_

_Harry: "You can't regret the decision you made. It was for your sister. You have to think about your future, both you and Deb's. If you love Hannah like you say you do, then you will get her as far away from Miami as you can as soon as possible."_

Dexter nodded his head slowly. Harry was right. He needed to think about what was best for both Hannah and Debra, and that was getting as much distant between them as possible. It was going to be hard to have to say goodbye to her, but better her living free without him then behind bars.

* * *

It was only the late morning, and hunger was already beginning to set in for Hannah. She had eaten every one of the bagels that Dexter had left with her and she felt like she could eat a dozen more. It would be a long wait for the day's end when her lover promised to return to her with dinner.

Hannah sat on the motel bed as she used her switchblade knife to clean the dirt out from under each of her nails. When she finished, she closed the knife and then hit the button, causing it to spring back open. She did it over and over again, before finally setting the knife down on the bedside table. Her stomach growled causing her to let out a long sigh.

She remembered that there was a snack vending machine just outside of the mangers office. Perhaps a few bags of chips and some crackers could curve her appetite until Dexter brought a substantial meal. She opened the bedside drawer where she had put her cash and removed a few dollar bills, stashing them into the pocket of her jeans.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she reached down and grabbed her short brown boots. She put them on her feet, before getting up and opening her motel room door. The Florida sun made her squint. Being cooped up in a motel room for the past two days made her feel like she was a shut in. She hated it. Hannah loved being outdoors and working in her nursery.

She breathed deep; taking the fresh air into her lungs before closing the unlocked door behind her. Hannah took her time strolling by the three motel rooms on her way toward the office. She might a well enjoy her time outside.

Hannah had to walk passed the manager office door to get to the vending machines that were right near the phone booth that she had used before. Her presence caught the attention of the manager. He smiled, bearing his rotten teeth at the sight of her, put on his hat to cover his balding head, and went outside to approach her.

"Can I help you with sum-thin'?" He asked standing behind Hannah while she fed money into the machine.

The man's burley body casted a shadow where she stood. Hannah took a deep breath and realized that she could smell him. It was a strong combination of cigarettes, alcohol, and filth.

"No, I'm fine." She replied, continuing with the business of making her snack selection on the machine.

"Yes you are..." The manager commented back. He licking his lips while eyeing her slender frame from behind.

Hannah rolled her eyes and ignored his comment. Hopefully he would get the message and back off. She had dealt with hicks like him many times back home in Clopton, Alabama. Most of them were Clint's poker buddies.

"So, I take it you and your boyfriend didn't kiss and make up last night 'cause your still here. I could take ya back to my place and whip ya up sum-thin' special. How'd you like that?"

"I wouldn't." muttered Hannah while she quickly bent down and grabbed her bags of chips.

She then tried to walk back the way she came, but the manager brought his arm up, placing his hand on the machine, which blocked her from walking on.

"Now there ain't no reason to be rude, purty lil' lady. I reckon your disrespect's what got ya popped in the mouth right there."

He brought his free hand up to Hannah's face to point out the cut on her lip, and she swatted his hand away.

"Get out of my way." She ordered, not showing any fear.

Her words caused him to move his arm and take a step back with his smile still plastered on his face. His eyes followed her as she began to walk back to her motel room.

"You're a feisty lil' lady, aren't ya." He chuckled while he followed after her.

Sensing that he was following her, Hannah quickened her stride. She wanted to get back to her room before he could catch up with her. The sound on his footsteps behind her sounded like they were getting closer. And then, she felt him grab her arm causing her to react on instinct by pulling away from him and coming back with a hard fist to his face. The force knocked his hat off his head as he stumbled backwards.

"You fuckin' bitch!" He yelled in anger as he immediately began to run after her.

Hannah burst into her room and slammed the door shut as quickly as she could. But, before she was able to lock it, he rammed his body weight through the door, sending her falling to the floor. He walked through the wide open doorway before he unbuckled his belt, and slide it out from around his large frame.

"I'm gonna teach you what happens when 'lil whores are naughty." The manager hissed snapping his leather belt together in his hand before throwing it on the floor so he could unbutton his pants.

Dexter pulled his SUV into the parking space a few feet from Hannah's motel room. Upon getting out of his Ford, he noticed three bags of chips scattered across the pavement and a man's baseball cap.

In the motel room, Hannah scrambled to her feet and made a dash over to her night stand to where she had left her switch blade. The moment she whipped back around, the man grabbed her arm holding the knife with one hand, and her throat with his other. With his strength, he lifted her off her feet and slammed her down onto the bed. Her head hit into the headboard and then he began to slam her arm back against the headboard causing her to drop her knife onto the bed. He climbed on top of her, further impeding her from getting away from him.

"Yeah, I'm gonna give it to you nice and rough, baby!" He exclaimed, his right hand still clamped onto her neck causing her to gasp for air.

Hannah's blue eyes began to sparkle; Tears were beginning to form in them while she tried to reach for her fallen knife that was just out of her reach. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the leather belt pulled around the motel manager's neck. He let go of Hannah's throat as both his hands were immediately drawn to his own neck. Hannah began to cough and gag as she breathed rapidly, bringing much needed air into her lungs. She looked up with distain at her attacker who was beginning taken care of by her boyfriend.

Dexter shook with rage as he pulled back on the belt as hard as he could, cutting off every bit his air supply. Morgan then brought a knee up across the manager's back to allow him even more leverage to strangle him, while also keeping the guy from falling back onto him.

"You fucking inbred bastard!" Hannah screamed as she plunged her knife deep into his large gut.

She jammed the knife all the way in, before removing it and doing the same thing again on the other side of his stomach. Dexter's eyes widened as he witnessed his girlfriend begin to repeatedly stab the manager over and over again in anger. The blood was pouring from his gut, turning the bed sheets a deep vibrant red. He felt himself release the tension from around the man's fat neck as blood began to flow from his mouth. Dex was in awe as Hannah got on her knees, kneeling before their dying victim before she rammed the knife into his chest where she let it stay. Morgan allowed the body to slump over to the other side of the bed. Hannah and his eyes met. Both of their chests were heaving from the adrenaline of the kill.

Just before Dexter could even react to the moment, she sprung up out of the bed and ran into the bathroom. He looked puzzled by her reaction and quickly got up to follow her. Hannah was on the bathroom floor with her face in the toilet bowl. Her bloody handprints were smeared on the yellow colored porcelain as she began to vomit.

_"Not the reaction I expected. Maybe she's just shook up from being attacked. Or Perhaps this kill brought back some unpleasant memories from her time with Wayne Randall. I could never forget the queasy feeling of finding the blood bath my brother, Brian, had left for me to trigger the memories of our mother's murder."_

"Are you okay?" He finally said as he crouched down next to her.

"I'll be fine. It's just that smell of the blood." She explained before falling back against the bathroom wall. She was still breathing heavy.

"I'm glad I came when I did."

"Yeah..." Hannah agreed with a small chuckle.

"As soon as I'm able to dispose of the body, we have to leave. I need to get you as far away from Miami as possible."

"Because of this?" She inquired nonchalantly, holding up her bloody hands.

"Not just that, my sister is making finding you her new mission in life and I don't want you going back to prison. I'll get you far away from here, somewhere Deb can't find you."

"Argentina?" She questioned with a smirk to show her lack of sincerity before she continued on a more serious note:

"Dexter, we never had a chance to talk."

Hannah then sighed before licking her lips like she was getting ready to tell him something important.

"I know..." He breathed, feeling tears beginning to well up in his eyes at the thought of losing her again. "But I think talking will only make saying goodbye harder."

"There's still something I really do think I have to tell you, but I've been afraid to." She admitted bringing her legs up closed to her chest like as if she was a timid little girl up against the wall.

"What is it?" Dexter muttered narrowing his eyes. He noticed her change in demeanor and could only wonder what she was going to tell him next.

Tears began to fill her eyes once again as she contemplated whether or not to tell him what she had been keeping to herself the past few days. She was extremely hesitant to confide in him. The fear of rejection and disappointment held her back for a few moments before she was finally able to blurt it out:

"I'm pregnant."


	3. Episode 3: Blood Never Lies

"Pregnant?"

Dexter heard himself breath that single word while the magnitude of it was still sinking in. His eyes were wide. Just like when Rita had announced Harrison's impending arrival, he felt blindsided.

Hannah was studying his face carefully. Her bloody fingers began to fidget nervously. She could not tell how he felt about her confession. She was uneasy. Her mind citing back to her husband rejection of their unborn baby. She made him pay for that. Was the nightmare of her past repeating itself yet again? There was a moment of silence before she decided to reply to him.

"I think I am. I've been late as of the end of December. I was going to tell you on Christmas, but then after everything went to shit..." Hannah trailed off, lowering her eyes as she frowned.

She had played the turn of events over and over again in her mind. Dexter taking her to task over her poisoning Debra's bottle of water had been the cause of their first fight. Hannah had told him to decide what he wanted, and when he had arrived at her nursery on Christmas Day, she had thought he had chosen her and their future together. She had been ready to tell him about her possible pregnancy when she saw that look of betrayal in his eyes. Her heart was shattered and all he could say was that he was sorry before she was led away.

"You should have told me there was even a possibility when I came to see you in prison. Why did you wait until now?" Dex asked back narrowing his eyes.

Hannah scoffed. She used the back of one of her hands to wipe away the tears from her face. She then shook her head before going on to explain:

"You had me arrested. The last thing on my mind was telling you that there was a possibility I was pregnant. Besides, you had made it very clear that there was no future for us. You were going to let me spend the rest of my life behind bars. I did what I had to do to escape."

"And then you left a black orchid on my doorstep. Am I suppose to believe that was a parting gift?"

A corner of her mouth pulled taunt. She smirked at him; surprised that he had not figured out the significance of the plant that she had particularly chosen to leave for him to find.

"The black orchid: symbol of absolute power and fertility." muttered Hannah. Her words were followed by a quick eyebrow raise.

"Absolute power? I guess you feel pretty powerful after being able to fake a seizure to escape custody." Morgan commented, returning a smirk. He was going on what Deb had told him about her escape, since Hannah hadn't filled him in on the details.

She sighed, biting gently on the side of her lip before she opened her mouth to correct him. She spoke in a soft voice that sounded hesitant to reveal the truth.

"I didn't fake it..."

Her admission caused Dexter to shoot her a look of disbelief. His mouth parted slightly while he began to wonder what had caused a seizure at such an opportune time. Hannah could see him trying to make sense of it. She decided to enlighten him with the details of her planned escape.

"It was all part of the plan that I set up with Arlene. I gave her detailed instructions on how much aconite to put in a capsule and she slipped it in my hand at my arraignment at the court house. It was just enough to trigger the seizure."

Hannah's account of events caused Dexter's jaw to drop even further. He couldn't believe that a woman who believed she might be carrying a child would intentionally poison herself in an attempt to escape.

"You trusted a drug addict to measure the amount of poison you put into your body? That's completely crazy, weren't you worried about what effect that could of had on the baby if you are pregnant? Not to mention if Arlene would have given you too much, you would have died." Dex pointed out in a low voice that was underlined with a bit of anger.

His judgment of her decision caused Hannah to lean forward and sneer while defending the action she had taken.

"I had no other choice! It was the only chance I had of escaping and I took it! And if I am pregnant, you know I'd never be able to keep a baby while behind bars! I was willing to take the risk!"

Dexter drew in a deep breath and then quickly moved to crouch in front of her before making his rebuttal.

"You would have had other options of you would have told me."

Hannah closed her eyes for a moment, when she opened them, they darted away from his gaze. How quickly he had forgotten their conversation in the visiting area of the prison.

"You were intent on making sure I knew that Debra came before any future we could have together. Having a baby with me would only come between you and your sister. You chose your sister over me, and I was afraid that if I told you, you'd want me to get rid of it. I won't do that, Dexter." She confessed as her blue eyes began to glaze over with tears.

Dex was surprised by her words. He exhaled, blinking his eyes a few times looking away from her as he thought about the best way to respond.

"I would never ask you to do that. I'm not Jake. You know that." He whispered back before returning his gaze to her.

Hannah pursed her lips slightly while a tear began to stream down her face.

"Do I?" She breathed back with an eyebrow raise, "You also once said that you would never land me in jail like Wayne."

"How could I ever foresee what was going to happen between you and Deb? Giving her the evidence to arrest you was one of the hardest things I ever had to do...Next to killing my brother." admitted Dexter, feeling himself getting choked up.

Hannah's mouth parted open in response to him confiding in her that he had murdered his own brother. Her brilliant blue eyes shifted away for a moment before returning focus on him.

Dex frowned as his eyes widened. He couldn't believe that he just brought up Brian. He hadn't thought of him in over a year and now the conversation was surely going to shift from talking about a possible pregnancy to the murder of big brother Biney.

"Why did you kill him?" She inquired softly.

Hannah was, of course, curious rather than horrified to learn that her lover had taken out his own sibling. Too bad he wasn't for doing the same to his sister.

Dex closed his eyes and was about to divulge how he had to sacrifice his brother, Brian, for his foster sister, Debra, when Hannah amazingly answered herself:

"Because of Deb?"

Dexter's eyes connected with hers, slowly he began to nod his head. It was amazing how easily she could figure him out. She understood him and what he had been through in his life. Before even thinking about it, Dex heard himself begin to explain why his brother had to die by his hand.

"My older brother, Brian, was the Ice Truck Killer. We had been separated after witnessing our mother's murder, but he found me. Brian accepted my need to kill, because he had it too. He wanted me to be free like him. The freedom to kill whomever I wanted without a code. Brian tried to prove his point by attempting to kill Deb, so I put him down..." Dexter trailed off as he began to get teary eyed. He quickly began to try and shake off his emotions.

She reflected a look of sadness before she slowly closed the distance between them, bringing her forehead to his.

"I killed Biney, my real brother, who I was born in blood with, for my adopted sister who will never fully understand or accept me." Dexter heard himself confess in a mutter as tears streamed down his face.

His thoughts and feelings about murdering his brother all those years ago were rising to the surface, and spilling out of his mouth.

Hannah instinctively sat back after hearing for the first time that Debra Morgan was not Dexter's biological sibling. She couldn't believe that he could have so much profound loyalty to a woman who wasn't even his blood, regardless of whether or not he grew up with her. With her newfound knowledge of Brian, she now knew that she wasn't the first person that Dex had to sacrifice being with for the sake of Deb. Perhaps she should've considered herself lucky that he had put her in jail instead of killing her.

"Dexter, if you know that Deb will never accept who you are, then why do you keep putting her before your chances to be happy? Why do you feel like you owe her that if she's not even really your sibling?" challenged Hannah as she looked her lover directly in the eyes.

Dex let out a deep sigh before bringing both of his hands to his face. He needed to get himself together. With everything he had on his plate right now, this was the most inopportune time to be exploring his complicated feelings about his older brother and how he had killed him for Debra. Hannah was asking all the right questions. They were the same ones that were now swirling around in his mind. His head was pounding and he knew he had to get out of there.

"Stay here and get yourself cleaned up. Do not leave this motel room." He finally muttered, getting to his feet.

"Where are you going?" She immediately asked him with curiosity, standing up to meet him.

"The closest store to get supplies. I'll dismember the body right here in the room then wait until nightfall to move the six hefty bags out to my car."

"Can you get me something to eat while you're out? I'm starving." requested Hannah. She looked to not be phased at all by the gruesome prospect of having to witness him disposing of the body. Despite the fact that she had killed her attacker, her hunger had not wavered.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be back as soon as I can." He breathed before making his exit.

Upon exiting the motel room, Dexter took a quick moment to go into the manager's office and turn the business sign over to 'Closed". He also did away with the manager's hat and the bags of snacks. These items were the only evidence of the struggle outside and they would no longer be a problem as they were now inside the motel room. Harry was standing right outside room four when Dex reemerged.

_Harry: "What just happened in there?"_

_"Which part? The killing of the motel manager, Hannah telling me that she's pregnant, or me letting it slip to Hannah that I killed my brother for my foster sister?"_

Dexter immediately began to walk toward his Ford Escape while imaginary Harry followed after him.

_Harry: "Do I have to pick one? This just proves that you should have left Hannah alone once you found out she had escaped. It's obvious now that the orchid she left you was to manipulate you into finding her. Son, you don't even know if she really is pregnant."_

_"It makes sense that she is. We were together practically every night leading up to when she tried to kill Deb. I can understand why she was afraid to tell me. The last time she was put into this situation she was rejected by her husband and miscarried."_

Dexter climbed into the drive seat of his SUV. As he brought his keys to the ignition and cranked it, Harry got into the passenger seat and continued to speak to him:

_Harry: "You're assuming, Dexter. A lot of women fake a pregnancy in an attempt to hold onto a relationship that will never work out. Why not Hannah? Don't let your feelings for her cloud your judgment. You need to be certain that she's telling the truth. You should pick up a pregnancy test and watch her take it. It's the only way to be sure moving forward."_

Dex let out a deep sigh as he griped his steering wheel, letting his father's words sink in. Harry did have a point. He did need to have proof that Hannah was carrying his child. Whether or not it was so would directly affect his course of action.

_" A qualitative blood panel would be able to detect if there is a presence of the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone in her blood. My kit is in the back of the Escape, I can get a sample from her and test it in the lab. I'll know by the end of the day."_

Dexter drove to a Large Mart he had seen that was located right off the main highway. Luckily for him, the parking lot was sparse thanks to the many good citizens of Florida who were working.

_"Large Mart. "We'll have whatever you need at a discount price, guaranteed", so the slogan says. "_

Dex wasted no time wheeling a cart up and down the aisles, collecting the essentials: hefty bags, plastic sheets, rubber gloves, smock, new bed sheets, and a Black & Decker electric handsaw. And of course, he then began to fill the cart with some normal everyday items so that his purchases didn't scream "I just killed someone and need to clean it up".

Dexter felt completely clueless about what size clothing to buy for Hannah. He had never bought clothing for his wife, Rita, let alone any other female. With a look of confusion, he held up a pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt to figure out if it would fit her. He shrugged slightly before tossing both into the cart along with a few other articles of clothing.

"Find everything alright today, sir?" The clerk asked while he began scanning each one of the items at checkout.

"Yup." piped Dex as he flashed a fake smile while reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

"Got a messy project you're working on?" The employee then asked, noting the plastic sheets and garbage bags before bagging them.

"You have no idea." Morgan replied with a smirk.

* * *

Miami Metro's homicide division was bustling with activity. The double homicide from the crime scene earlier that morning was everyone's top priority, well, everyone except Debra. She had herself sequestered in her office while doing her best to turn up a lead on Hannah McKay. Batista was following a lead.

"Bueno, asegúrese de que nadie los toca el coche, vamos a estar allí. Muchas gracias." Angel said into the office phone receiver before hanging up.

Quinn was quick to inquire as soon as he saw that the call had ended. "What's up, do we have a lead?"

"Sí, Dexter was right on the money when he told us to reach out to the salvage yards in the area that have been previously investigated for connections grand theft auto. I just spoke to the owner of one of the local yards, Julio Ramirez, who received an automobile with the same plates, make, and model, as the one registered to the victim, Audrey Jenner."

"That's good news, chances are that the guy who fenced the car is the killer. This is the break we needed. Should we tell Deb?" questioned Joey as he got up from his desk.

Batista glanced over the Lieutenant's office before looking back at Detective Quinn.

"No, I'm going to take on the responsibility and head this investigation. You saw how Deb reacted at the crime scene. She's been an emotional mess since Maria was murdered."

"So much for retirement, huh?"

"I'd rather be here right now anyway, it keeps my mind off of Maria's murder. A shark has to keep swimming to stay alive, socio."

" Do you need me to head down to the salvage yard?" Joseph offered.

"No, I'm on it. It's better that I deal with the owner, since you barely know any Espaniol. I'll take Masuka with me to do a forensic sweep on the car. Do me a favor and check in on Deb."

"You do know that she's just going to end up tell me to go fuck myself and to get out of her office, right?" Joey commented, pointing his thumb in the direction of the Lieutenant office.

"Wouldn't be the first time. Just try and talk to her, okay? The two of you have a history, maybe she will confide in you." encouraged Angel, giving a swift pat to Quinn's arm.

Joey sighed and then gave a nod. He reached behind him, scratching the back of his head while watching Sergeant Batista walk off to go and grab Vince Masuka from his lab station.

Quinn decided that there was no sense and putting off going to Debra's office. Upon approaching the door, he had to stop himself for simply walking in. Debra had been promoted to Lieutenant over a year ago, yet he still sometimes had trouble remembering that she was his superior. He knocked on the door and awaiting a response from inside. When he heard nothing after a few moments, he opened the door and walk inside.

Lieutenant Morgan looked away from her computer screen and over at Quinn the moment he entered her office.

"You ever heard of knocking, Quinn?" Deb hissed, giving him a look to show how annoyed she was by him interrupting her work.

"Uh, I did. What are you doing in here? You missed this morning's briefing." Joey questioned, he placed both hands on her desk and leaned in, awaiting her reply.

"I'm sure Batista handled it just fine. I'm busting my ass to chase down a lead on Hannah McKay. I stopped by Arlene Shram's house after the crime scene this morning and she refused to talk to me. I guaran-fucking-tee you that she's been in contact with Hannah. I think I have enough probable cause to get a judge to sign off on allowing me access to Shram's cell phone records." explained Debra pointing at her computer screen before continuing:

"I'm going to nail that bitch to the wall like she's on a fucking crucifix." Deb promised looking down at a picture of Hannah's mug shot from her arrest that was in her police file.

"Hannah McKay, the woman you accused of the double homicide from this morning?" asked Joseph with a smirk causing Morgan to narrow her eyes.

"What's your fucking point, Joey?"

"Batista and Masuka are following up a lead on the case. Turns out the killer took victims' car to a salvage yard to fence it for quick cash. There goes your theory of Hannah murdering the mother and child for a getaway car." He chuckled folding his arms.

Debra's mouth gaped open. She used both hands to tuck strains of her brown hair behind her ears. It was quite clear now that she was wrong about the murders. She would have to accept that. What she wasn't willing to do was forget the fact that Hannah was on the run. She had been the one to arrest her for the murder of Sal. It was only right that she take on the responsibility of putting her back behind bars. Not to mention the fact that it was Hannah who tried to kill her.

"So she didn't commit the double homicide, that doesn't change the fact that she's a killer. I'm not going to give up until I find her and her murdering ass in back behind bars." promised Debra as she resumed her focus back on her computer screen.

"You're kind of taking this a little too personal, don't ya think? I mean, she was your brother's girl. I would think you would want to let someone else handle it out of respect for him and what he's going through." Quinn pointed out. Ever since Dexter saved his ass after the Stan Liddy murder he had been accused of, he felt like he owed him.

"Respect for Dexter?" She scoffed slightly with a forced laugh. How fucked up was that? She wanted to scream in his face that she had done more for her brother than he could ever imagine, but she had to refrain from doing so.

"Yeah, I've got a lot of respect for a lab geek who was able to land a woman as hot as Hannah McKay. I'm just saying." joked Joey cracking a smile while shrugging his shoulders.

Deb shot Detective Quinn her best "eat shit and die" face before she opened her mouth to comment on what had been his lame excuse at humor.

"God, your such a fucking guy! All you bastards ever do is think with your dicks, meanwhile, innocent people are getting killed..."

Her words trailed off as she began to lose her composure. The fact that seemingly every guy in Miami was enamored with Hannah McKay's beauty, despite her deadly reputation, infuriated Debra. Unlike the male officers of Miami Metro, she knew exactly what Hannah was: a liar and a killer who would come after her and her family.

Quinn's smile quickly faded when he saw her begin to cry. He immediately began to feel sympathetic to the woman who was not only his superior, but was also his former lover who he had once asked to marry him.

"Deb, I'm sorry, I was just kidding around. I didn't mean to upset you." He apologized in a voice that was quite sincere.

Joey moved toward her, going around to her side of the desk. Gently, he placed his hand on her back causing her to finally respond to him.

"I'm just so fucking stressed out." sobbed Morgan while she tried her best to stifle her tears. She didn't want to give her co-workers anymore of a reason to think that she wasn't fit for the Lieutenant shield.

"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."

Debra wiped away her tears and sighed. As nice as his offer was, there was no way she could confide in him. The burden of the murder she had committed was hers and hers alone. Her brother was the only other person that knew about it. Dexter was the one who she should be able to turn to for support; but where the hell was he?

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. You should get back to work." She whispered finally getting her emotion in check.

Quinn gave a nod before taking his leave. It was when she was alone again in her office that she reached into the top right draw of her desk and pulled out her bottle of pills, this was how she was going to get through the day.

* * *

Dexter had to knock on the motel room door a few times before Hannah answered it. She was wearing only a towel that was wrapped around her torso as she stepped out of the doorway and allowed him room to enter.

"I hope you don't mind fast food for lunch. I didn't think to pick up any food while I was at Large Mart." Dex commented setting the paper bag and drink down onto the small table that was up against the window that was covered by the drapes.

"God no, at this point I'll eat anything." She quickly replied moving to remove the food from the bag.

Hannah immediately sat down at the table and began eating while Dex started carrying in the bags of his purchases and his forensic kit from the SUV. Despite the fact that there was still a large dead body lying in the bed only a few feet away, she had no trouble devouring her meal.

"I bought you a few pairs of new clothing. Hopefully it all fits. So when you get finished eating, you can get dressed. I'll need what you were wearing."

"Okay, thanks." She said with a mouthful of food. A quick sip of her drink and she swallowed before speaking again.

"What's your blood spatter kit doing in here? I didn't think you needed that to get rid of a dead body." inquired Hannah, giving a nod toward where he had set his kit on the carpet floor.

"I've got my spray bottle of Luminol in there. It will help me ensure that I don't miss any blood during the clean up. The last thing we need is for this to become a crime scene." Dexter explained while taking that moment to open up his kit and put on a pair of latex gloves.

He dug around and then removed a packaged syringed, needle, and a plastic test tube. McKay immediately noticed the items and it caused her to narrow her eyes. Before she could question him, he gave a response.

"I also need to get a blood sample from you. I'm going to test it in the lab for the pregnancy hormone, HCG. I can get the results by the end of the day."

"You know, most people just buy one of those pee sticks." She mentioned with a smile. She then took another sip from her drink's straw.

"We're definitely not most people." Dex muttered while tearing open the plastic packaging. . He inserted the sterile needle into place before speaking again.

"I'm the blood guy, remember?"

His brown eyes focused intently on the complete syringe he now had in his grasp.

_"The syringe: just holding it in my hand gives me a rush, as if it's filled with Etorphine, and I'm about to immobilize my prey from the shadows. I have to remind myself that I'm not on the hunt."_

"Can we get this over with?" Hannah asked somewhat impatiently. She wasn't thrill with the fact that she was going to have a needle jabbed into her arm.

Dexter broke his gaze and then nodded in his lover's direction. He bent back down to retrieve a disposable tourniquet from his kit.

"You really have everything in that kit, don't you?" She commented with an eyebrow raise, holding out her left arm out to him.

"Always be prepared." Morgan said with a smile as he wrapped the band around her arm. "I'll be quick."

"I hope you do a better job drawing blood than you do performing a DNA swab." joked Hannah as her mouth stretched into a smile. Her playful smart-ass remark made him chuckle.

She winced slightly as the needle punctured the vein at her antecubital. Her blue eyes focused intently as the syringe began to fill with her blood. Dexter's mouth gaped open slightly and he breathed in. He too was watching intently as the tube of the syringe became completely red. Slowly, he backed the needle out of her skin causing a red dot of blood to form from the puncture site.

"Here, use this to put soft pressure on it to stop the bleeding." Dex directed handing her one of the napkins that came with her meal.

Hannah followed his instructions and she watched as he deposited her blood into the plastic test tube before capping it off and putting everything back into to the kit.

"You should get dressed now so you can leave the room. It's going to get very messy." He warned while beginning to unpack his plastic sheets and hefty bags.

"I can help. It is, after all, my mess you're cleaning up." Hannah pointed out, getting out of the chair.

She let the towel drop to the floor and then began putting on the clothing that Dex had purchased for her.

"It's going to be pretty gruesome. The human body can be quite disgusting when you are dismembering it; the smell of death and decay that is expelled into the air when you begin to dissect."

"I think I can handle it." She commented back as she finished getting dressed.

Dexter had a game plan. Luckily for him, the bloody mess from the body had been contained to the bed. With the help of Hannah, he laid the plastic sheets down over the shag carpeting in preparation of moving the body to the floor as well as hung the plastic up against the wall to contain spatter. Dex donned his smock and rubber gloves before he expertly rolled the large man onto the plastic. Due to the fact that he hadn't bought Hannah any clean up attire, she sat in a chair simply watching him work. Immediately upon rolling the body onto its back, Dexter noticed that the knife was missing.

"Where's the knife?"

"I took care of that." admitted Hannah, folding her arms in front of her.

"Keeping the murder weapon is not a smart move. Must I remind you about the Sal Price pen?" He muttered in a low voice while looking in her direction.

"I'm not getting rid of the knife. I've had it since I was a kid. I cleaned it, there's no blood left on it. Besides, there's no crime if there's no body." She told him raising her eyebrows.

Dexter silently nodded in agreement. Hannah had brought the discussion about the knife to a close and now it was time to get things tided up.

_"I need to work quickly, the quality of the blood sample will only last a few hours without proper refrigeration."_

The electric handsaw began to whirl and the red mist began to spray. He expertly sectioned the body parts before placing them all in the black hefty bags. The bloody sheets smock and gloves, Hannah's clothing, and all of the plastic found its way into its own hefty. All that was left for him to do was to spray the Luminal and clean up any blood that had seeped onto the mattress. When he was satisfied with his job, he commissioned Hannah to put the new plain white sheets on the bed. Dex tied off all the bags and stacked them neatly in a corner of the motel room. They would be there waiting for him to take them for a night boat ride out to sea.

"I'll be back later tonight. I'm going to take the motel key so I can let myself in, in case you are asleep." He told Hannah.

Dexter approached where she was seated and bent down to place a kiss on her forehead. She smiled because of his loving gesture, bringing her hands up to his face before she spoke to him.

"I'm glad you found me. You are slowly redeeming yourself for turning me into your sister with everything that you've done for me since I escaped. And I know how hard it must have been for you to tell me about your brother."

"I want to be honest with you about all of my darkest secrets. You know that you are the only person in this world that I don't have to hide anything from. I don't want you to have to leave." Dexter admitted in a whisper, bringing his forehead to hers. Hannah closed her eyes before breathing a reply:

"I don't want to go anywhere either."

They both let out a long exhale in unison before their mouths met for one passionate kiss that ended as quickly as it started. With his kit in tow, Dexter left the motel and headed back to Miami Metro.

* * *

The elevator door chimed before its doors opened. Dexter stepped out casually with his work satchel hanging from his shoulder. His kit he was carrying in his right hand as he navigated his way to his lab room. Joey Quinn saw his entrance and immediately followed after him. Dex was keenly aware that Joseph was walking after him.

"Dex, you have a minute?"

Being verbally called out caused Morgan to stop dead in his tracks just before making it to the forensics station.

_"Not the best time for socializing, Quinn."_

Dexter turned around and put on his best fake smile as he tipped his head as a way to inquire what it was that Joey had to speak to him about.

"Hey, I just wanted to give you a heads up. Deb is really gunning for your girl, Hannah. She's trying to issue a warrant for a judge to sign that would give her access to Arlene Shram's cell phone records. You might want to try and talk to her. She seems like something is really bothering her. She wouldn't talk to me about it. I just feel like it's something more than Laguerta's death."

_"Arlene's cell phone records. If Deb gets a hold of that it won't take her long to trace the payphone to the motel Hannah is staying at. I'm running out of time."_

"Okay, thanks Quinn. I'll talk to her." Dex replied in a mutter before walking on at a quicker pace.

He was almost home free when Masuka looked up from a microscope and made an attempt to talk to him. But Morgan wasn't having any of it.

"Not now, Vince." He piped dodging quickly into his lab before Masuka could rebuttal by saying whatever perverted quip he wanted to say.

_"Peace and quiet is what I need. Who knows how much time I have before Debra gets the go ahead to investigate further into Hannah's whereabouts. I need to move fast."_

He closed the shades cutting himself off from the rest of the homicide division before he began the process of testing Hannah's blood sample. Working methodically but with speed, he completed the necessary procedure before feeding the sample into lab equipment. It was going to take several minutes before yielding a result. He could move onto his next order of business while waiting.

Dex presented a driver's license from his pants' pocket. It had belonged to the motel manager that he and Hannah had dispatched. Keeping the identification was by no means a trophy for Hannah, it was, however, a way for Dexter to find out just who he had been in society. Would a family be filing a missing person's report? These things had to be considered as a potential problem for him and Hannah. He began to type the information into the computer database and then hit enter. Harry appeared next to his son. He leaned forward and stared at the computer screen as Dex began to read aloud:

_"Buddy Wilkins, listed residence in Pinewood, Florida. Unmarried and lives alone with no family or any next of kin listed."_

Dexter heightened the search parameters to outside of the state and raised his eyebrows by what he found.

_"Originally from Allgood, Alabama. He served over ten years in the Holman Correctional Facility for two counts of kidnapping and sexual assault."_

_Harry: "At least this time Hannah's victim was a deserving one. And it doesn't seem that anyone is going to be looking for him."_

_"One less thing I have to worry about."_

Satisfied with his search results, Dexter then sent the driver's license through the industrial shredder. It wasn't a moment too soon, because Vince decided to make another attempt to try and talk to him. Dex cleared his computer desktop before Masuka rattled off the information he had been so desperate to tell him earlier.

"Dude, I know you don't want to be bothered, but it's about the double homicide from this morning. Hold off on doing the blood report, because we caught a huge break thank to your tip about the salvage yards. We found the victim's car. I spent all afternoon going over it with a fine tooth comb. I've got a partial print and get this, blood on a napkin that had fallen between the front seat and the console." Masuka explained.

"Wow, that's some break. I'm guessing the blood was from the killer and not one of the victims? Did you cross match the print and the blood with our database yet? Any matches?"

"You bet your sack I did. I got a hit for one Pedro Lopez-Fernandez. Blood never lies, bitches. And because I am Vince Masuka, the fucking Rain Man of forensics-"

"Rain Man? Wasn't that movie about an autistic savant?" Dex asked interrupting Vince midsentence.

"Yeah, what, don't see the resemblance? Huhuhuhuhuh."

"Oh yeah, kind of, I guess." chuckled Dexter before Masuka continued.

"I suggested that Batista call the closest pawn shops in relation to the salvage yard and Fernandez' apartment and 'bam"! We've got a record of Pedro pawning a wedding ring matching the description of ring that was stolen from Audrey Jenner post-mortem."

"Rock solid evidence, that's good news."

"Hell yeah, solid as a ten inch strap-on in an amateur transsexual orgy fest. I already finished my forensic report and cataloged the evidence in the lock-up. I'm sure you will want to look it over for your spatter report."

"Okay, great, thanks. I'll definitely do that." Morgan replied with a smile. His eyes shifted toward the lab door to signal to Masuka that the conversation was finished.

Once he was alone again in the lab, he went back to machine where he had inputted Hannah's blood sample. A few button presses, and the results were sent to his computer. He pulled up the report and immediately began to scroll through the blood panel. His lips parted while his brown eyes focused on the listed hCG hormone level in her blood.

_"Blood never lies. Hannah was right, she's pregnant. Her human chorionic gonadotropin level is significantly high. I can't send her away, not now."_

Harry appeared again behind his son. He placed one of his hands up against his head to show his disappointment with the news.

_Harry: "I was praying that she was lying. This is going to do nothing but get in the way of you doing what's best for you, Debra, and Harrison. Hannah's a serial killer and fugitive from the law. What kind of a mother would she make?"_

Dexter let out a long sigh. His eyes were glazed over with tears as the reality of the situation was beginning to set in.

_"What kind of a father am I? I'm a killer too. And 'this' is Harrison's little brother or sister, your grandson or granddaughter."_

Harry placed his hand on his son's shoulder before replying sympathetically:

_Harry: "I don't mean to come across as uncaring, Dex. But you do have to realize that this can't work. You can't have a family with Hannah like you did with Rita. She's facing a murder, not to mention additional charges for escaping."_

_"The only thing the police have on her is that pen. Without the evidence they will have no choice but to drop the murder charge."_

_Harry: "Are you seriously even considering stealing that pen from the evidence locker? That would be an entirely stupid move, Dexter. Your sister would know immediately that you had sabotaged the case so Hannah could walk. She would never stand for that."_

_"I'm not suggesting that I make the pen disappear. The cap of the pen is where Hannah put the aconite. Replace the cap and you have a pen that when tested will come back negative for traces of poison. I have a reason to be there, Masuka just gave me my reason for signing into the lock-up."_

_Harry: "But what about the fact that she escaped police custody? Nothing says guilty more than a prison break."_

_"Hannah had an actual seizure. I'm sure her lawyer will be able to find a doctor to cooperate on a theory that she woke up disoriented in the hospital with no idea why she was there tied to the bed."_

_Harry: "You think you easily have all the answers, but what are you going to say to Deb when she finds out you are back together with Hannah after you help her beat the charges?"_

_"One step at a time, Dad. I will deal with that when I have to."_

* * *

By the time dusk was approaching, Hannah had eaten every one of the small bags of chips that Dexter had brought back into the room. The demon of hunger had returned to her once again and she began to contemplate venturing back to the snack machine. She had no idea what time Dexter was going to return to her, so it behooved her to eat something now.

Hannah left the room unlocked. Walking with a purpose, she traveled toward the manager's office where she noticed the 'closed' sign on the door. She smiled. Dexter Morgan really did think of everything. The sound of the payphone's shrill ring caused her to walk passed the snack dispenser. She hesitated for a moment, not knowing if she should answer it. It could be Dexter.

"Hello?" She said after lifting the phone from the receiver.

"Hannah? Oh my God, I've been trying to get a hold of you all day! I was about to give up on reaching you from this number!"

McKay knew Arlene Shram's voice immediately. She let out an exhale shifting her weight from one foot to the other while standing inside the booth.

"You shouldn't be contacting me. For all you know, your phone could be tapped." scolded Hannah.

"That skanky cop came by my house this morning. I didn't even answer the door, but she knew I was there. She went on and on how she knew that I knew where you were and that she was going to find you. She said that I'll be charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive. Hannah, I can't go to jail, I have my kids to think about!"

"Arlene, listen to me, you are not going to jail. I'm going to figure something out. In the meantime, you continue to say nothing. Do you understand?"

There was a pause on the line compelling Hannah to give her friend more reassurance.

"You trust me, right?"

"Yeah...But you have to do something soon.."

"I know, just stay strong, and from now on, don't call this number again." McKay instructed before hanging the wired black phone back up on its hook.

Something did have to be done. The difference was that this time, she had Dexter to help her make her next move. It was a strange feeling to know that she had a man in her life that loved her and wanted to protect her. After Wayne Randall and then Jake Kirkwood, she had become used to only counting on herself. Hannah was ambivalent. A part of her felt safe and protected with Dexter, while she also felt like she should be skeptical about where his heart truly was. He had thrown her over for his adoptive sister before, and it could happen again. Her past had taught her that nothing was for certain.

* * *

_"I'm getting back to the motel much later than I wanted to. After a quick dinner with Jamie and Harrison, I'm off to sneak into the night. Six hefty bags and my pregnant fugitive girlfriend await my return."_

The Ford Escape's headlights cut through the darkness as he backed it up into the deserted motel. He opened the back hatch and then the stow and go compartment. Instead of knocking, Dexter used the key to gain access to room number 4. He found Hannah lying asleep on top of the made bed with several empty snack bags lying on the bedside table.

_"Hardly a substantial meal for the woman who is growing my child inside of her. I should have remembered to bring her dinner. I'll stop on the way back from dropping off Mr. Wilkins and get her something. That's what a loving boyfriend would do after tossing the chopped up body of his girlfriend's victim into the ocean."_

Dex moved quickly and quietly, carrying two hefty bags at a time out to the SUV. After making the three trips, he closed everything up and was on his way to his marina. When Dexter arrived at the solitary marina, he wasted little time loading his cargo into the Slice of Life that as docked nearby. After untying the boat from the dock, he started the motor and eased the throttle. The boat sliced through the Miami water like a knife through butter. It was a nice night to be out at sea. Using his boat's navigation, he found his dumping ground where his "playmates" would be swept away by the Gulf stream's current.

"Happy trails, Buddy." He said aloud with a smirk when he tossed the last hefty bag overboard.

Morgan closed his eyes and paused. The rocking of the boat on the waves was soothing. He took a moment to take a deep breath of the ocean air, before he reached into his pocket. When he opened his eyes, they focused on the plastic pen cap that was impregnated with aconite that he held in his hand. He had followed through, replacing it in the evidence locker. It was the only evidence that state of Florida had on Hannah. Harry appeared next to him, he too was looking at the cap.

_Harry: "It's not too late, Dexter. You still have time to put it back without anyone being the wiser. You don't have to do this for Hannah just because she's pregnant."_

_"I'm not just doing it for Hannah. I'm doing it for me too. I want a life with her and Harrison, and the new baby. A real family, not camouflage like what I had with Rita. My life isn't a cover anymore, it's real."_

_Harry: "Listen to yourself, you're only thinking about what you want! What about Deb? Choosing to be with Hannah is going to destroy your sister in the process! I can't let you do that."_

Despite his imaginary foster father's anger, Dex wasn't fazed at all. Slowly, he stretched his arm out over the side of the boat.

_"Just as I am no longer a slave to a 'dark passenger', I am not bound to do what my father would want. I am, in fact, the most typical type of monster: the selfish human being who wants to protect his loved one and children at all costs."_

Dexter felt his hand release the plastic cap. It fell into the ocean, barely making a ripple in the tide. He watched as it lingered for a few seconds at the surface before disappearing into the dark depths below.

Morgan took a staggered breath into his chest while his eyes continued to focus on the waves. He was waiting for Harry's voice to pierce his mind, but it never came. He was standing alone on the boat again. The only sound was that of the waves hitting against the boat. And then, his ears picked up something else. Dexter's eyes widened when he heard the sound of someone clapping directly behind him. Instantaneously, he knew it was Brian. He had appeared to him in the same fashion when he had avenged Brother Sam's murder. Dex slowly turned around to confirm his thoughts.

Brian Moser stood on the opposite side of the boat with a broad smile on his face. His clapping ceased before his voice broke Dexter's silence.

_Brian: "I'm proud of you, little brother."_


	4. Episode 4: Untouchable

_"Brian, my brother. I haven't seen him since I spared Jonah's life over a year ago in Nebraska. Our ill-fated road trip ending with him disappearing into the night as I drove back to my life in Miami."_

His imaginary sibling approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder before speaking to his internal thoughts.

_Brian: "Just look at you now, unafraid to go against what Harry Morgan would want you to be. Finally, you are beginning to embrace who you are and what you truly want. It's the freedom that I always wanted for you, Dexter."_

Dex stared out into the dark ocean while feeling his brother's hand squeeze his shoulder to further drive home his approval of his actions.

_"Is it? As I recall, you wanted me to go on a mindless killing spree just to watch the blood flow. I hope you're not expecting that of me now. Just because I'm going against Harry doesn't mean that I'm throwing away the life I built. I want to add to it with Hannah, not destroy it."_

Brian smiled and let out a chuckle before sitting down on the side of the boat with his arms folded.

_Brian: "You don't think I know that, little brother? Just because you haven't seen me in over a year doesn't mean that I haven't been with you since. How else do you think you came up with a plan for Hannah to beat her charges so quickly?"_

Moser used an index finger to tap against the side of his own head to show that he was the master mind behind Dexter's plan to help Hannah. Brian had never left his brother's side, yet it had been Harry's view that would win out to dictate Dex's actions.

_"Impressive."_

Dexter's mouth pulled taunt slightly as a reaction to the fact that he had come up with the plan to aid his girlfriend thanks to his dead older brother. The idea of the preverbal devil and angel on each of his shoulders was quite comical when he stopped to think about it.

_Brian: "In fact, if you would have listened to big brother, Brian, more often than you would never turned in the woman you claim to love so deeply for the selfish and neurotic Lieutenant Morgan. Honestly Dexter, I don't know why you didn't let Hannah finish what she started. You took care of Daddy McKay, she takes care of foster sister, Deb; Killing in the name of love, it brings a tear to my eye."_

Dexter's smile quickly faded as he moved away from his brother's hand before muttering a reply:

_"Well you better wipe that tear away, because it's not going to happen. I took away Deb's evidence against Hannah, she's no longer a threat. I'll make sure Hannah knows that."_

Satisfied by his reply to his brother, Morgan sat down at the helm of his boat and fired up the engine. With a villainous smirk, Brian took a seat in the back of the boat, his arms stretched out across the length of the back cushion as Dexter began to turn the boat back around.

_Brian: "You, Hannah, and Deb: one big happy family, huh?"_

Dexter allowed the sound on the boat's motor drown out his brother's remark. He needed to get back to Hannah with a late dinner and an explanation of the day's turn of events. There was much for them to discuss.

* * *

The Homicide division of Miami Metro was quiet. The fluorescent lights overhead were all out except for the one inside Lieutenant Morgan's office. Other than Debra, Sergeant Batista was the last officer to be calling it a night. He let out a sigh, turning off his desk lamp before putting on his signature fedora hat. Instead of heading for the elevator, Angel walked in the opposite direction toward the Lieutenant's office. He knocked softly before entering.

"Deb?"

There was Debra fast asleep. Her head lying in the sea of paperwork that littered her desktop like it was her pillow. Her name being called out through the silence did not even cause her to stir. She was out.

While Batista didn't like disturbing her, he didn't want to leave her sleeping in the office for the night. Quietly, he walked over to her and then gently gave her a nudge. The movement caused Morgan to awake abruptly. A printed out copy of her warrant for Arlene's cell phone records stuck to the side of her face when she lifted her head. She swatted it off before focusing her eyes on Sergeant Batista.

"Fuck me, what time is it?"

"About half past nine. You should call it a night. Vamos, I'll walk you to your car."

Debra brought her right hand up to her face to massage her forehead. She must have over indulged with her Xanax prescription yet again. The scary thing was that she had no recollection of even falling asleep. Her plan had been to stop by the court house immediately after work to have a judge sign off on the warrant. So much for getting that done today. She promised herself that she would make it a top priority tomorrow.

"Okay, let me just grab my stuff, I'll meet you at the elevator." She finally replied.

Angel nodded. Judging by the disheveled paperwork on her desk, he figured that she needed to put it all into some kind of order, maybe even packing it all into her work satchel. Debra was always known for taking her work home with her.

The first thing that Deb did when he left her office was grab her purse from the confines of the bottom desk drawer. She let it plop in front of her, unzipping it with one quick motion She paused for a moment. Her eyes darted over to the top right drawer. Reaching over, she slid it open. The orange clear cylinder bottle of Alprazolam snapped into her focus immediately.

What was she doing? She should just leave it in the office for the night. How many doses did she take that day? One or was it two, or maybe three. She couldn't remember. Debra shook her head and then forcefully closed the drawer. She then began bunching all of the paperwork into unorganized stack that she then shoved into her nearby work satchel. Removing her cell phone from her purse, she checked for any notifications. There were none. So much for her big brother checking up on her. She hadn't seen him since the morning crime scene, and he clearly did not see the need to touch base with her. Deb thought about calling or texting him, but decided against it.

After muttering a single obscenity, she tossed her phone back into her purse. She thought that having Maria's blood on her hands would have made Dex open up to her more, since she did it to protect him. She had been wrong, in fact, he had become even more distant; preoccupied with his own agenda, whatever that was. She was being left in the dark.

Debra felt her chest tighten as a wave of sadness and disappointment flooded over her. She gave a few staggered breaths in an attempt to calm herself down so she didn't lose her composure. Batista was waiting for her at the elevator, she needed to get out there before he came back to check on her. Her brown eyes fell to the same draw she had closed only moments before.

"I fucking need it." She muttered to herself aloud as justification.

Deb threw the drawer open and snatched her medication. With the bottle in her purse, she was ready to head out. At least she knew that she would be able to get some sleep tonight. A beer and a few pills would make sure of that. It was something that she could count on for comfort, unlike her selfish, serial killer brother.

Debra stared blackly at the closed metal doors as she stood in the elevator with Angel. She didn't want to look him in the eyes or even have small talk with him. Batista was a great guy. He always looked out for her like she was his little sister. This wasn't even the first time he had walked her to her car when she was pulling a late night at work. But that was before. Before Deb killed his ex-wife in cold blood. God, if he knew that she was the one responsible for Maria's murder. That thought was enough to make Debra take another Xanax right then and there in the elevator shaft. She wanted to get out of there. The time it took them to descend to the ground level of the police department felt like an eternity. And then finally, the bell chimed, and Morgan moved immediately to the exit like a race horse out of its gate.

"¿Cuál es tuprisa? Deb, slow down, don't make an old man hustle." Batista called after her as he too began to walk briskly.

Debra decreased her stride upon his request. Using her casted left hand, she swept a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Sorry, I just want to get out of here. We sure as shit spend enough hours in this place as it is." She explained as the exited the building.

Both of their automobiles were parked in close proximity. Debra was still driving an issued unmarked police vehicle after her BMW was totaled thanks to Hannah's attempt on her life. Fucking Dexter should have to buy her a new Beemer. She loved that car. Dexter. Why was her mind constantly shifting to him? As she began driving the streets of Miami, she started to wonder where her brother was at that very moment. It was well into the evening so it would make sense that he was home with Harrison. Well, that was where he would be if he was a loving, responsible father.

As if on autopilot, she began driving in the direction of her brother's apartment complex. Shit, she didn't need an invitation to check in on him and Harrison. She was family. And just because Dex was being an ass, didn't mean that Harrison had to go without seeing his aunt. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but perhaps part of the reason she was going there unannounced was because she just didn't want to be alone.

Sooner than she expected, she was standing in front of apartment 10B. A few knocks on the door and it was Jamie who greeted her from the other side.

"Oh, Deb, hi." Jamie piped with a look of surprise on her face. The random visit from Dexter's sister was unexpected.

"Hey, I just stopped by to catch up with Dex. I was so busy I didn't get to see him today at the station." explained Morgan while cocked her head to the side to peer into the apartment behind the sitter for any sign of her brother.

"Oh, well Dexter is working late tonight. I don't know when he's coming home, but you're more than welcome to come in and wait for him."

"Fucking great..."

Jamie looked a bit confused as she moved from the doorway. Little did Dexter's nanny know, Deb was sure her brother was out committing a murder to pacify is own egotistical need. Of course, the needs of his family weren't a priority. She wasn't the only one being neglected, little Harrison was too.

Upon her entry, Morgan looked around the tidy main living area. There was no sign of her nephew, only his toy trains that were neatly lined up along the coffee table. On the same surface were a few lit candles. The lights were dimmed and the television was on but set to a low volume.

"Where's Harrison?" questioned Debra without even considering the obvious answer.

"He's asleep in his room. You can go in and check on him if you want. You don't have to worry about waking him up, he's a pretty sound sleeper."

Deb folded her arms in front of her before venturing to peek into her nephew's room. Despite the fact that she couldn't see herself having any children in the future, she loved spending time with Harrison.

There was a small glow in his room thanks to his sailboat nightlight on his bedside table. She crept in quietly and peered down at the sleeping child. Harrison looked so innocent and peaceful in his slumber; He knew nothing about his father's heinous deeds and Debra vowed to keep it that way. Dex had already destroyed so many lives, including hers, in the wake of his "dark passenger". She would do whatever it took to protect her nephew from that same fate.

When Deb went to fix his covers, his small red fire truck fell to the floor. She smiled and remembering how it and Thomas were his two favorite toys. She bent down and retrieved it. It was when she went to place the toy on the nightstand that her eyes focused on a picture of her brother and Hannah McKay.

"What the fuck?" She muttered silently.

In one quick motion she snapped up the framed photo. Due to the nightlight, she could clearly see both Dexter and Hannah's smiling faces as the posed together in what looked like Hannah's garden. Just the sight of her face made Debra want to smash the framed photo into a million pieces. She restrained herself from doing so, only because of her sleeping nephew. Why was this still in the house, let alone in Harrison's room?

Deb heard Jamie speaking out from the living room. She figured her brother had finally arrived home. And what perfect timing it was on his part, he had some explaining to do. With the picture still in her possession, she walked back into the living room to meet them. Much to her surprise, it wasn't Dex who had arrived, it was Joey Quinn.

"Sorry I'm a little late. I had a shit ton of paperwork after we had a break in a double homicide."

He leaned in and gave Jamie a quick kiss on the lips, completely oblivious to the fact that his ex-girlfriend and superior was standing only a few feet away.

"Are you kidding? You brought over Bacardi, all is forgiven." She giggle taking the brown paper bag from him that contained the booze for the evening.

Quinn chuckled before bringing his lips to her neck for a few quick kisses, but Jamie moved away from his advances when she noticed Debra standing there awkwardly like a third wheel.

Jamie apologized, "Oh Deb, I'm sorry. I invited Joey over tonight to hang out since Harrison is already in bed. Dexter knows and he's okay with it." 

When Debra's presence was made known, Quinn immediately retreated from Jamie. His eyes were then focused intently on Morgan before he decided to speak up.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were gonna be here." 

"It's fine. I just showed up looking for Dexter." Debra muttered before quickly shifting the topic to the framed picture that was still in her hand. "I found this in Harrison's room. What was it doing there?"

Jamie went on to explain, reaching out for the picture, which Debra moved. "Oh, that's suppose to be on Dexter's desk. Harrison loves looking at that picture. He really misses Hannah."

Deb argued holding to frame up while she spoke. "This belongs in the fucking trash along with everything else having to do with Hannah McKay. Dexter and Harrison will get over her soon enough without shit like this in the apartment." 

Jamie answered back plainly before finally succeeding in gaining possession of the photo. She moved to place it back on its usual spot on her boss' desk. "That's for Dexter to decide." 

Dex had already made his decision when he chose to give her the evidence to put Hannah away forever. It made no sense for him to keep anything from that poisonous relationship. He should be moving on, counting his blessings that neither her or Harrison were killed because he had been thinking with his dick.

Debra scoffed and was about to make a rebuttal, but quickly thought better. The fact that Jamie was Angel's little sister as well as Harrison's main caretaker kept Deb from flying off the handle like she was so used to doing. Besides, the young woman obviously had no idea who Hannah McKay really was. The girl was blindly putting her trust in what Dexter had told her about the situation with Hannah.

"I'll take it up with Dexter." muttered Deb.

Without saying another word, Morgan took her leave. She didn't even bother to acknowledge Jamie when she told her that she would let Dexter know that she had stopped by. It was completely unnecessary, because she was going to call him. As soon as she got into her car, she found his number from the contact list of her phone and hit the 'call' button.

* * *

Dexter stood motionless at the foot of the bed where Hannah was sleeping. She was lying just like he had left her when he came to remove the hefty bags from the motel room. And now he was back with a late dinner that he had already setup for her at the table. Brian stood by his brother's side, but was looking at his younger sibling instead of Hannah.

_Brian: "Are you just going to stand there and watch her sleep?"_

_"She's sleeping so peacefully. Even in this dimly lit room, she looks so radiant. It's almost as if she's glowing in the darkness."_

Brian let out a chuckle before he moved to take a seat in one of the hotel room chairs. He then commented back:

_Brian: "Well, you did knock her up. First Rita and now Hannah. I'm guess good ol' Harry and Doris Morgan never had the talk with you about protection. "_

The sound of Dexter's cell phone ringing brought him back from his imaginary dialogue with his brother. He quickly removed the phone from his pocket to view the caller. It was his sister. The noise caused Hannah stirred in her slumber. Dex quickly tapped the "ignore" button to send the call to voice mail before moving to the side of the bed. He sucked in a breath of air and held it while watching her eyes flutter open to meet his.

"Hey." Hannah whispered giving him a weak smile.

"Hey." He echoed in an exhale. His mouth pulled into a grin. "Brought you a late dinner."

"Thanks."

Hannah's eyes shifted and she turned in the direction of the room corner where he had left the hefty bags piled that were no longer there.

"I already took care of that while you were asleep." Dex commented, knowing right away what her question was going to be.

She let out a tired sigh and laid flat on her back, closing her eyes again. There was a moment of silence between them before Dexter spoke out again in a whisper.

"You were right." He admitted.

"About what?" She asked back, her eyes still closed.

Slowly, Dexter brought his hand to her flat stomach. He gently caressed her abdomen with his fingertips where their unborn child was growing. His touch caused her eyes to open and snap to his like they were guided by a magnetic force. Hannah smiled wide as her blue eyes began to glaze over with tears.

While it has her who had voiced the belief that she was pregnant, part of her wouldn't let herself believe it. It was some sort of self preservation. Not allowing herself to get excited about the possible pregnancy would ensure that she couldn't be devastated when she lost it. But after the blood test, Dex was telling her that this pregnancy was, indeed, real. She only hoped that this time would be different.

"Really?" She asked in a gasp like she was wanting him to say it out loud.

Hannah sat up. Leaning forward, she rested her forehead against his. And then, she cupped her hand over his giving it a loving squeeze that was followed by his verbal confirmation.

"We're pregnant." He breathed in an exhale.

She giggled with delight before pressing her lips to his. They both sighed in unison as she brought her hands to his face. The tender kiss lasted only a few seconds more until it was broken by Hannah. Her eyes cast away from his; her happiness being replaced with a sense of sadness.

"Are you okay?" Dex asked, sensing the sudden disconnect between them.

Hannah hesitated for a moment before turning her focus back to her lover who was waiting patiently for an explanation of her sudden change of emotion.

"So what happens now, Dexter? I can't hide in this shithole forever." She pointed out in a low voice that mirrored her feeling of hopelessness about the situation.

"You won't have to." He muttered back with a slight raise of his eyebrows before continuing. "I didn't just throw those hefty bags into the ocean tonight."

Her eyes narrowed. What was he talking about? She had no idea. Instead of asking, she allowed him to further explain.

"The aconite laced pen: The one piece of evidence that the police have on you. I took care of it."

Hannah's mouth fell open in response to his admission. Had Dexter really just gotten rid of the single piece of proof that she poisoned Sal Price? Did he really blatantly betray Debra and steal police evidence for her?

"So it's really gone?" She asked before biting softly on her lip.

"Just the cap, I replaced it. Any retesting of the pen for aconite will come back negative. I couldn't just make the pen disappear from evidence. If I did, Miami Metro would know that one of their own had taken it."

"Tampering with evidence, won't Deb suspect you? She wants me in prison more than anyone." Hannah commented, mentioning the obvious.

"Don't worry about Deb. Without tangible evidence against you, she's no longer a threat."

She raised her eyebrows and smirked and then replied to him.

"Seriously? What makes you think that will stop super cop Debra from coming after me, especially if she finds out that we're still together?"

"Because I won't let her." Dexter quickly retorted in a low voice.

On his face, Hannah saw a look of sincerity. She couldn't help but give a slight smile in response to his words. He was actually saying that he would protect her from his adoptive sister. If only he would have stepped in when Deb first starting threatening her with jail, so much could have been avoided.

"Deb will eventually realize that she no longer holds the moral high ground. Her hands are no longer clean, even if it is because of me." muttered Morgan when his eyes shifted away from his girlfriend's gaze.

Hannah's face contorted into a look of confusion. Dex had hinted that Debra was very stressed out over something besides her escaping from police custody the morning after they reunited. She wondered what the Lieutenant had done that would have knocked her off her self-righteous pedestal of justice.

"What are you not telling me?" She finally questioned in a whisper.

"Deb killed Captain Laguerta. Maria found out I was the Bay Harbor Butcher and had warrants for Deb and my cell phone records. I had an elaborate plan where I was going to lure Laguerta into the shipping container that I killed Estrada in and Debra just showed up with her gun drawn. Maria told her to shoot me, but she couldn't do it." divulged Dexter with a faraway look in his eyes.

McKay's jaw dropped before her lips slowly curled into a smile. The irony was almost poetic. The same cop who had stood before her in a court room and called her a liar and a killer ended up killing an fellow cop to protect her brother from the law. Debra Morgan really was a hypocrite.

"She shot the Captain? How did you get her out of that one?" chuckled Hannah as if what he had told her was joke.

"I made it look like Estrada and Laguerta killed each other in a struggle. The F.B.I is in charge of the case and they are already wrapping it up. I took care of all the loose ends that would possibly put Deb or me at the scene."

"And the Bay Harbor Butcher investigation?" She inquired.

"It died with Laguerta. I destroyed all of the evidence she had when I was erasing all ties to her murder."

"Wow, sounds like you always think of everything. It makes me wonder how you're going to help me beat a murder charge."

Dexter smiled menacingly before pulling Hannah into his arms so that she was now straddling his lap. He gave her a quick kiss before he spoke.

"Trust me, I have a plan. I would never have fixed the evidence if I didn't. Everything is in my control." He voiced with confidence before bringing his mouth to her neck.

Hannah grinned as a soft moan escaped her mouth when she felt his wet kisses traveling up along her neckline. His assertion then eliciting a hushed response from her:

"Of course it is. You're untouchable."

Her words caused his kisses to cease. He brought his hands up to her head, sweeping away her blonde locks of hair on either side of her face before responding.

"I am, and soon you will be too." Dex promised, flashing her a mischievous smirk.

Hannah mirrored his facial expression before bringing her hands to his collared shirt. Her fingers began to fiddle with the buttons. He remembered the fact that he had returned to the motel room with a late dinner for her.

"Don't you want to eat the food I brought you? A Cesar salad dinner is healthier than the fast food lunch." He offered, not forgetting about her delicate state. He looked down at his shirt as he watched her undo each button, starting with the top.

"That's not what I'm hungry for." She whispered back, making her eyebrows raise, while she continued to undo the clothing.

"It isn't? What did you want?" He asked, wondering if he should have woke her up and asked her when he had first arrived there that night. He was obviously oblivious to her sexual innuendo.

His response made her chuckle. Slowly, she slipped her hands down between their bodies and grabbed hold of him. Dex gasped under her touch, while Hannah brought her lips to his ear and breathed in a sultry whisper:

"I want you to fuck me."

And Dexter gave her what she wanted without the slightest hesitation. Their naked bodies entwined with heated passion that completely consumes the both of them. Unlike the night before, this time, their love making was gentle; without a struggle for dominance nor any blood.

It was after, that Dex shared his plan with his lover. Hannah listened intently as she laid in his arms. He was meticulous with his description of how she would need to set things into motion. Every facet of the plan had to be carried out exactly as he specified if it was going to work.

"You can't stay with me the rest of the night?" She asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice when Dexter left the bed and began to dress.

"I wish I could, but I need to get back to the apartment. I want to be there for Harrison in the morning."

Dexter mentioning his son made Hannah immediately smile broadly. She pulled the wrinkled covers up over her naked body and then spoke.

"Make sure you give him a hug and a kiss from me."

Dex nodded in agreement as he finished getting dressed. Before departing, he gave his girlfriend one final kiss and reminded her to stick to the plan that would begin with a phone call. It was on the drive back to Miami that Brian reappeared to him by sitting in the passenger seat.

_Brian: "Remind me why we're going back to your place at three in the morning when you could spent the rest of the night in bed screwing your hot blonde? She's got a great body, little brother, a perfectly symmetrical form, truly a work of art."_

Brian had been obsessed with the female form, more specifically the arms and legs. A psychologist would have speculated that it was witnessing a chainsaw tearing apart their mother that had made him a devotee to pieces of women.

_"Yes, she does, but I need to be there when Jamie and Harrison wake up."_

_Brian: "No, you don't. You have a nanny, that's what you pay her for."_

_"There's no sense in me trying to explain it to you. You never had kid, a family depending on you."_

_Brian: "You are my family, Dexter. I know that it's going to take you a while to stop behaving the way you think Harry Morgan would want you to. Getting rid of the evidence on Hannah was your first step. You have so much potential."_

* * *

Just like the night before, Dex successfully snuck into his apartment and completed his usual morning routine. He began cooking breakfast after sunrise and was just about finished its preparation when both Jamie and Harrison came into the kitchen.

"Dexter, wow, breakfast looks great." Jamie commended, before verbalizing her observation, "Another late night at work? I swear, you are the most dedicated blood spatter analysis in the history of the profession."

"What can I say? I love the job." Morgan commented back with a smile.

He then turned his attention to his son who he picked up and spun around in the air. Harrison laughed playfully, he loved it when his daddy played with him.

"I love you too, buddy." Dex added, bringing the three year old into an embrace that was followed by a kiss on the cheek.

Jamie offered to serve the food while Dexter got his son situated in his booster seat at the breakfast table. It was when they sat down to eat that Jamie spoke of Debra's unannounced visit the night before.

"Debra, stopped by last night looking for you. She seemed a little agitated, especially when she found out that you still have a picture of you and Hannah in the apartment. What's that all about?"

Dexter simply shrugged his shoulders before taking a sip of fresh squeezed orange juice. He wasn't about to explore the mutual hatred between Debra and Hannah with his son's nanny. The last thing he needed was someone else in his life being a part of the drama.

"I'll see Deb at work. Whatever's going on, I'll smooth it over."

"Speaking of work, is there any chance you could be home at a decent hour? I'd like to have the night off. Joey wants to take me out to dinner."

"Joey? As in Joseph Quinn?" He then asked narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, we started hanging out at the New Year's Eve party. Is that a problem?" She replied helping Harrison with his food.

"Uh, no, why would it be? I can be home early, that's no problem."

Dexter's cell phone alarmed causing him to reach for it.

"Crime scene, I've got to get going." He muttered after looking at the display. Dex gave his son a quick pat on the head before reaching across the table to snag a banana for the road.

* * *

Dexter was eating his pealed banana with one hand while holding his steering wheel with the other. Arriving at the blocked off highway entrance, he was forced to throw his breakfast aside to expose his Miami Metro laminate to one of the officers on the scene. The cop gave a nod before letting him drive down the cleared highway where the Miami Metro Homicide team was gathered.

_"A brutal crime scene first thing in the morning. Just another beautiful day in sunny Miami, Florida."_

Immediately, Dex observed that one of the Miami Metro squad cars was a part of the crime scene. As he approached, he saw that the victim was a male officer. Debra was standing next to the body with her arms folded. Rightfully so, she was clearly upset by the murder of a police officer.

"Hey Deb, do you know the story? Officer killed in active duty?" Dexter asked his sister when he approached her.

His inquiry caused her to turn toward him. Dexter's eyes met his own reflecting in her aviator shades. He waited patiently for a few seconds thinking she was going to give him information about the scene, but instead, Debra walked away from him in quite a huff. His narrowed eyes followed after her while he tried to figure out if he had said or done something to piss her off.

_  
"She must still be upset about finding the picture of Hannah last night. If something that small can have that effect on her, I can only imagine how she's going to react when my plan begins to unfold. Deb will probably end up wishing that she never got out of bed this morning."_

Batista informed Dexter as he approached him with Quinn at his side. "She's upset like we all are. He was one of our own, Dex. Carlos Melendez, a upcoming officer who was assigned to highway patrol. This guy had two small children and a wife at home. Esto es desgarrador. We think he was murdered during a traffic stop that turned quickly turned ugly before he could call for backup." 

Masuka chimed in as he snapped a photograph of the road with a camera. "It was a motorcyclist that he pulled over. At least that's what these black rubber marks on the road say."

After setting his kit down and putting on his gloves, Dexter approached the victim and began to give a description of the bloody wounds he had sustained.

"The victim was cut across his abdomen. The location and angle of the laceration suggests that the perpetrator did so while he was sitting on the motorcycle. Dex began to scan its relationship to the tire marks that Vince had pointed out.

Morgan went over to the tire marks and bent his knees to mimic being seated on a motor cycle as he went on to explain.

"Looks like Officer Melendez approached the biker from the left. He pulled a blade with his left hand and sliced into him with one quick motion. The blood pooling suggests that the victim fell to the ground immediately."

Dexter moved his arm in the air to reenact the motion the biker had taken when inflicting the wound to the officer. He then stepped back over to where the victim was laying and gave more details.

"The pattern of blood from the tracks to where the body is shows that Melendez tried to pull himself away from his attacker."

Joey spoke up making his confusion known. "All this over being pulled over for a ticket? Once the cop was down, why would the guy come after him? Why wouldn't he just take off?" 

Dexter replied after a moment of thought. "For whatever reason, he wanted to finish him off. The blunt force trauma to the victim's skull, and the subsequent cast off pattern show that the attack stood over him and repeatedly bludgeoned him with a weapon that had some weight. This was the cause of death, the cut was superficial." 

Masuka stood by him and continued to snap pictures as Angel pointed out a detail:

"Weapon, like an issued metal nightstick? His is missing from his duty belt." 

"That definitely could have been the murder weapon." Dexter replied with a nod.

Quinn angrily retorted pointing in the direction of the squad car. "The fucking savage even busted the driver side window of the cruiser and stole the dash cam and smashed the mounted laptop. He then took the time to write the word 'PIG" in blood on the windshield." 

"Stealing the dash cam obviously made him brazen enough to leave a message; Possibly showing his disdain for law enforcement." commented Dex, before coming back with a question:

"Did any witnesses come forward? Somebody had to have seen something."

Batista replied, "Nada, it was called in anonymously and no one is stepping forward with any information. I'd be willing to bet that our perpetrator has gang affiliations." 

Joey shook his head in dismay before commenting, "If that's true, we can forget about anyone testifying as an eye witness." 

Lieutenant Morgan finally rejoined her team after standing on the sidelines since Dexter's arrival:

"Let's wrap this shit up and head back to the station for the morning briefing. If we want to nail this mother fucker, we aren't going to do it standing around here. We've collected all of the evidence we're going to find here." 

The team took the Lieutenant's direction without question, immediately beginning to pack it in. Dexter was quick to reassemble his kit, before hurrying from the crime scene to catch up with his sister.

"Deb, do you want to talk about it?" He offered when approached her just as she was getting in her car.

"No, I wanted to talk last night, but you obviously couldn't even take my phone call!" She retorted in anger, plopping down into the vehicle's driver seat.

"I'm sorry, I had my hands full last night, I should have returned your call, it's just-"

"Go fuck yourself, Dexter! I don't care what your excuse is! I've got a dead cop with no leads in sight. I need to focus on getting justice for one of our own! I don't have time for your bullshit!" Debra hollered, completely cutting her brother off before he could come up with some lame excuse as to why he had ignored her call.

Her rebuttal was quickly followed by her car door slamming shut. Dex stood there silently as the engine started and Debra drove off.

_"Deb's under stress. Like Harry, she takes the murder of a cop especially hard, maybe even more so because she knows that she was solely responsible for the death of one. I can only hope that the Melendez case can deter her focus away from Hannah."_

* * *

When the members of Miami Metro Homicide made it back to the station, they all gathered in the briefing room to go over the details of the Melendez case. Debra played her role as Lieutenant by leading the morning briefing:

"Looks like we have our first break in the case that comes from Carlos Melendez's wife. When we contacted her with the news of her husband's murder, she was quick to inform us that a member of the Aryan Brotherhood had made a threat against Melendez after he arrested him on domestic abuse charges a few months back."

Quinn remarked, "I'll look into the case records, come up with a name. I'd think we should bring him in for questioning." 

Batista was quick to reply, "With what evidence? No hair, fiber, or fingerprints were left at the scene. All we know is that the perp was riding a motorcycle. Any idea how many bikers there are in the state of Florida?" 

Debra folded her arms in front of her before speaking, "Well we can't just do nothing, Angel. This guy's wife said that he was threatened by a white supremacist and guess what, most of those skin head fuckers are bikers. I'd hardly say that it's a coincidence." 

Before any members of her team were able to respond to her annoyance, one of the department secretaries came in and whispered something to the Lieutenant. From his seat, Dexter focused intently on his sister. Her face quickly changed from a look of frustration to one of surprise.

_"And it's showtime."_

"I have to step out. Batista, you take over for me." She muttered before quickly hurrying from the conference room.

Deb quickly made her way back to her office with the secretary following closely behind her, letting her know that the call was on hold at her office phone.

"Lieutenant Morgan." She said into the receiver as soon as she took the call off hold.

"Good morning, Lieutenant, I'm Thomas McMullen attorney at law. I represent Ms. Hannah McKay."

"You know that your client is a fucking fugitive from justice, right?" Debra answered back before the lawyer had an opportunity to explain why he was contacting her at Miami Metro.

"I'm well aware of that, I am calling on behalf of Ms. McKay to strike a deal. She is willing to surrender herself if a single condition is met. Now I understand that this issue would have been taken up with the Captain, but I was informed that the position was currently vacant."

"Terms of surrender? Are you shitting me? Is this a fucking prank, because I'm not finding it funny." scoffed Debra as she shook her head.

"I assure you that my client and I are quite serious, Lieutenant. Ms. McKay only wishes to prove her innocence in the crime she was being accused of. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't working out a deal to have a fugitive voluntarily surrender to you make your job all that easier? I'm sure you have other cases to invest your time in."

Morgan took a deep breath before sighing. The lawyer had to ask if she was still on the line before she spoke.

"All right, I'll bite. What does she want?"

"My client is requesting that an independent lab test the one piece of evidence that your department collected. That's all. I have this writing and I can fax it to you. It needs your signature."

"So let me get this straight, Hannah McKay is willing to turn herself in as long as the pen is re-tested by a laboratory outside of Miami Metro?"

"That's correct, Ms. McKay has made it clear that there is reason for her to question the validity of the results and it is due to a personal history with an employee of Miami Metro."

Debra's eyes rolled as she let out a chuckle. It was clear that Hannah believed that Miami Metro had tainted the testing on the Sal Price pen because of her breaking up with Dexter. Deb knew that it had been Masuka who had tested the pen for traces of aconite upon it being logged into evidence. She trusted Vince's forensic knowledge and precision with her life. There was no way that any other lab could find conflicting results. Hannah McKay was simply tired of running, and was now grasping at straws to find a way out. She had to know that she would be caught eventually.

"Fax over the paperwork. I'll sign it and agree to export the evidence to an independent lab for testing."

By the time Debra left her office, the morning briefing had concluded. Dexter knew what had beckoned her away from the briefing. He had decided it would be best to distance himself from the chain of events as much as possible to keep any suspicion of his involvement at bay.

Unfortunately, Deb chose to approach him first with the news:

"Hannah's defense attorney contacted me. She wants to surrender."

Debra's words caught the attention of both Quinn and Batista who were within earshot at their desks. She was studying her brother's face after giving him the news that his ex-girlfriend was giving herself up. Deb wanted to gauge his reaction to see how much he still cared for her.

Dex narrowed his eyes. He would have to do his best to play the part of the innocent party so that his sister wouldn't see right through him. Luckily, he had a lot of experience doing that. "Really? Just like that?" 

"Well, with one condition, she wants the pen to be re-tested by an independent lab. Talk about a waste of time and resources, but if it's what takes to bring her in. Once we get her back into custody, there's nothing that can save her from going to prison for the rest of her life." Deb said with confidence.

Angel inserted himself into the conversation, "Hannah is turning herself in? Talk about making our jobs a lot easier, but why now? It just seems to come out of nowhere, doesn't it? We had no leads to find her, why wouldn't she just skip the country?" 

_"Don't start questioning it, Angel. Chalk it up as a win for Miami Metro and move on. The last thing I need is for him to tip off Deb."_

Joey hypothesized as he shrugged his shoulders. "Unless she had connections to score a convincing fake passport, there is no way she could leave the country. She probably figured that if she turned herself in now, it would be seen as being cooperative to a judge who would be handing down sentencing. I'm sure her lawyer talked her into it."

Quinn's words elicited a passionate response from Debra. "She has charges for first degree murder and escaping police custody, her ass is going to prison for life. This is a win for us. I signed and faxed the paperwork back to her lawyer. She'll be back behind bars before the day is over. In the meantime, let's work on finding out the identity of Carlos Melendez's killer."

As the officers of Miami Metro brought their focus back to the Melendez murder, Dexter began to calmly stroll back to his lab. On his face was a hint of a smirk.

_"Deb agreed to the terms of arrest. She thinks that she has Hannah exactly where she wants her. The problem is that Debra doesn't know that I tampered with the Sal Price pen. That's a secret that only Hannah and I share. I almost feel bad for my sister."_

When Dexter entered his confined laboratory, Brian was there waiting for him leaning against the his lab equipment.

_Brian: "Almost. It's like fish in the barrel, baby brother. It's all too easy. Once the independent lab comes back with a negative test for aconite, the D.A. will have no choice but to drop the murder charge. I can't wait to see the look on Debra's face. I wonder if it will compare to when she found out that, I, her loving fiancé, Rudy Cooper, was the Ice Truck Killer. She never saw it coming."_

_"Deb won't see this coming either."_

* * *

It was well into the afternoon when Hannah McKay arrived at Miami Metro with her lawyer. As soon as she stepped of the elevator, Dexter's eyes were immediately drawn to her through his lab window.

_"There she is, out of hiding."_

Hannah's lawyer stayed by her side as they made their way through the department. Debra had not yet been alerted of her arrival and was still in her office. It was Angel who stepped in to meet them.

"Ms. McKay, in case you didn't already know, I'm Sergeant Batista. I'll be in charge of booking you into police custody."

"No, the agreement was for my client to turn herself in only after we have the results of the independent lab test. We will be happy to wait until that time." McMullen interjected.

"Of course, I'm sure the results are on their way. We can have you wait in our cross examining room in the meantime. It's right this way."

Hannah replied shooting a slight smirk in Batista direction."I've been there before, I know where it is." 

In the room, Hannah and her lawyer sat on the same side of the table facing the door. Being a nice guy, Angel even offered both of them a beverage, which they both declined. It was when he was exiting the room, that he saw Debra coming toward him.

"Is she in there? The results should be on their way soon. I want to be in charge of booking her. I was the arresting officer, it's only right." Deb insisted. She was chomping at the bit to throw Hannah behind bars again.

"She is, her attorney is in there with her. Listen, I think you should let me handle this. You're clearly too emotionally involved in this case. Let me take it from here." Angel offered, trying to reason with his Lieutenant.

"Fuck no, her ass is mine!" She hollered back causing quite a stir in the department.

Masuka was seeing what was going on from his forensic station. He quickly moved to peek into the laboratory where he knew Dexter was still working.

"Dude, Hannah McKay just showed up with her lawyer looking smoking hot as ever. Your sister's about to go toe to toe with her in the cross examination room. It's probably going to turn into a cat fight."

"All the more reason for me to stay out of it, Vince. I care about Hannah, but I don't want to get in the way of Deb doing her job." replied Dex.

"Suit yourself, I'm getting front row seats for this chick fight. Huhuhuhuh."

Masuka then scurried to where a group of detectives were already huddled around the TV monitor. They had collectively decided to turn on the monitor the moment Deb entered the room with Hannah. However, much to their disappointment, Batista was quick to come over and shut it off.

"Lieutenant." Hannah muttered. A smirk had been plastered across her face the moment Debra entered the room.

Deb's brown eyes pierced like daggers in the direction of Hannah. Anger burned in the pit of her stomach when she saw how complacent McKay looked. She had remind herself that she was the Lieutenant of Homicide and, therefore, was not permitted to engage in an physical altercation with a woman she so deeply despised. Morgan took a seat directly across from her.

"You can wipe that fucking smirk off your face. The results from the lab will be here within the hour, and when it shows that you poisoned Sal, your ass is going right back to prison." commented Debra as she smiled wide at the thought.

The attorney interjected. "Excuse me, Lieutenant, but comments like that are unwarranted. My client has yet to be found guilty of any crime." 

"She did this to me," Deb added, holding up her casted hand, "so yeah, it is warranted. She tried to poison me, just like she did to Price."

Hannah's eyebrows raised. Her mouth pulled taunt into a full smile.

"I didn't poison Sal, and that independent lab test will prove it. You've been out to get me ever since you found out I was dating Dexter. Your lab made a mistake and in your Xanax induced stupor, you used those results to have me arrested." Hannah responded calmly with a grin.

"Bullshit, I know you're a fucking liar and a killer! You faked a seizure so you could escape jail because you knew-"

McMullen interrupted before Deb could finish her rebuttal."Ma'am, I'm going to ask that you again to please calm down." 

Hannah began to chuckle slightly. She couldn't believe that Deb was still point a finger and calling her a liar and a killer. If only she knew that Dexter had shared with her about Captain Laguerta's fate.

"Seriously, this again? You know, my grandma had another saying: 'the only thing worse than a liar is a liar that is also a hypocrite.' How long do you think you can hide behind that shiny Lieutenant badge, Debra?" asked Hannah, her eyes were narrowed and focused on Deb,

Her words caused Debra to freeze with her mouth parted. Her eyes darted away from McKay's icy stare. Hannah was echoing the same words she had said to her at the court house. This time, however, they were ringing all the more true.

Hannah could see that what she was saying was getting under Debra's skin. She reveled in the fact that she knew Lieutenant Morgan's deepest and darkest secret. Her and Dexter now held all the cards, and his adoptive sister was simply going to be along for the ride.

McKay had no problem lying for her survival. She had done it before when she had been arrested as a juvenile, and now, she was doing it again. She knew how to convincingly play the role of a victim.

"And just so you know, I didn't fake the seizure. It's documented with the hospital that I was brought into the emergency room unconscious. I woke up completely disoriented and I no recollection as to why I was tied to a hospital bed. I was so frightened, I didn't know who I was or where I was so I ran." Hannah explained starting to tear up.

She was giving an award winning performance that her defense attorney obviously was buying into as he handed her a tissue from his coat pocket. Debra, however, looked to be completely unmoved by McKay's display of emotion.

"That was a fucking Broadway worthy performance, I'll give you that, but, we both know that there was no seizure. You knew exactly what you were doing."

Before Hannah's attorney could speak out, the door opened and Batista asked Debra to step out to speak with him. Debra smiled, knowing that the interruption meant that the result had finally arrived. Quickly, Deb left her seat and met Detective Sergeant Batista outside of the room.

"Please tell me the results are in and I can take that bitch to booking."

Angel let out a sigh and paused. He really didn't want to be the one to be the bearer of bad news No one else in the department wanted to be the one to do it, so it had fallen on him. He lifted his fedora hat and wiped sweat from his receding hairline before putting it back on.

"Deb, the results came in. They were sent directly to the D.A. The independent lab's testing came back negative for poison. The word just came down, they are dropping the murder charge."

Deb was in shock. Nothing had mentally prepared her for this outcome, because it didn't make any sense. There was no way that Masuka's lab work could have been wrong. Miami Metro didn't make mistakes like this. Hannah McKay was guilty, she knew it in her gut.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" She shrieked when she finally found her voice.

"I'm not. And we will be lucky if Hannah doesn't decide to sue Miami Metro for our screw up."

"This is bullshit, Angel! She escaped police custody, how the fuck can they think that she's innocent?"

"Turns out Hannah's lawyer was able to get written testimony from a physician assistant who was on staff in the emergency room when they brought her in. This person verified the legitimacy of the seizure and the possibility of her being disoriented and having temporary amnesia. The District Attorney dropped those charges as well."

"Jesus motherfucking Christ!"

Lieutenant Morgan brought both hands up to her head, while letting out a frustrated sob. Her fingers clawed handfuls of her hair as she felt like the room was closing in around her. She couldn't believe that that bitch was going to get away with what she did. Where was the justice for Beverly Gray and Sal Price? And what about her? Hannah had tried to kill her too. One thing was for certain: the devil was taking care of his own.

After overhearing the news, Masuka decided that he needed to speak up. It was his forensic work that was being disputed and he taking it personally. Forensics, pornography, and tattooing, in that order, were his life.

"Shit, I've never made a mistake like this. She's going to sue me, I know it. It'll be because I'm Asian. I'm fucked worse than a prostitute in a donut shop." Vince commented aloud.

Dexter was silently watching the events unfolding in the department. He was purposefully continuing to make himself scarce from the scene.

_"The Miami Metro Homicide division is in a panic. They are trying to make sense of it all, but can't. I'm the puppet master pulling the strings as I create a new narrative for Hannah. But there are no strings tying me to the evidence tampering. I'm merely a shadow in the background, unseen, yet still present in the moment."_

Batista thought it was best that Debra keep her distance from Hannah. He instructed her to take a seat at his desk while he go back into the room to speak with McKay and her attorney. Deb had agreed. She knew that there was no way she could control herself; self control had never been a tool in her skill set.

"Look at that fucking bitch She thinks she's untouchable; smiling because she knows she got away with murder." hissed Debra when Quinn to a seat on the edge of the desk next to her.

Hannah was grinning smugly as she walked out of the cross examiner's room with her lawyer. Dexter's plan had gone off without a hitch. She stopped for a moment, allowing her attorney to speak with the Sergeant while her eyes scanned the department floor for her lover. And then she saw him in the laboratory window. Their eyes met for a brief moment.

Lieutenant Morgan took note of the fact that McKay was looking in the direction of the forensics lab. Deb peered behind her and saw her brother.

"Oh fuck no..." Morgan breathed aloud before bringing her focus back to the other side of the room where McKay was standing.

The two women's eyes met causing Hannah's eyebrows to raise as if on cue. McMullen tapped on Hannah's shoulder as he voiced that it was time for them to depart. Hannah McKay was a free woman who could go back to her life like the ordeal never happened.

"See you around, Debra." McKay sneered before she retreated toward the elevator.

The snide remark set Deb off like a firecracker. She went to bolt from the chair, but Quinn moved fast to impede her from standing.

Joey reasoned getting down to her eye level as she seethed in the chair. "Deb, don't, you're the Lieutenant. You can't make a scene."

"Joey, either you get the hell out of my way or I'll punch you in the fucking throat!" She threatened through gritted teeth.

Batista made the announcement as he walked back to his desk with a happy Vince Masuka trailing behind him."Fortunately for us, Hannah's lawyer made it clear that she has no intention of suing Miami Metro Homicide nor any of its employees." 

Masuka responded with glee. "If she wasn't already Dexter's squeeze, I'd totally French Hannah. She's the first woman who decided not to try and press charges against me. Huhuhuh."

Quinn responded. "You've had chicks try to press charges against you? What for? Wait, forget it, I don't wanna know." Joey put his hand up before Vince could respond.

Deb's mind was racing just as fast as her heart rate. Her thoughts kept dwelling on the pen. It had been stored in the Miami Metro evidence locker since Christmas day when her brother had given it to her. Other than Masuka testing it, that's where it had stayed.

"I'm going to go check the logs in the evidence locker." muttered Deb as she pushed by Joey so that she could get up and leave.

She walked away with a purpose, not waiting for a reply from any members of her team. Instead of using the elevator, Morgan raced down the four flights of stairs like they were nothing.

"I'd like the list of Miami Metro personnel who have visited within the last two weeks." Deb immediately told the cop behind the caged reception area.

"Here you are, Lieutenant Morgan, printed names and signatures with the time stamps." The officer said handing the clip board through an opening in the cage.

Without even a 'thank you', Debra began sifting through the various names and dates. It was three pages in that she knew that she had found what she was looking for. Dexter Morgan. Visited lock up yesterday.

Like a woman on a mission, Debra stormed back up the flights of stairs and went straight to the Homicide's forensics lab. She barged in without even pausing to knock. Her abrupt arrival caused Dex to turn and look at her.

"What the fuck were you doing in the evidence locker yesterday?" She hollered, getting right to the point with what she had just discovered.

"I had to go over the new evidence in the double homicide for my blood report that Masuka had already catalogued and stored down there."

Debra narrowed her eyes like she didn't believe a word he was telling her. Her reaction compelled Dex to add an alibi for his story.

"You don't believe me, ask Masuka. He was the one who told me about the new evidence and that I needed to examine it before I wrote the final spatter report. What the hell is going on, Deb?"

Dexter gave his very best 'concerned big brother' look while he pretended to be completely in the dark about what had transpired while he was in the lab.

"Hannah McKay just walked out of my department a free fucking woman! How in the hell does that happen, Dexter?"

_"Evidence tampering and story fabrication coming together seamlessly."_

"I don't know what you want me to say, Deb. I'm just as surprised as you are." Dex responded in a calm voice. His lie rolled right off his tongue with ease.

Debra's eyes narrowed. She folded her arms in front of her and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down before she spoke again.

"Are you? You were the one that gave me that pen. You knew it was laced with aconite when it was taken in as evidence. The second test coming back negative can only mean one of two things: either the independent lab forged the results or that pen was tampered with while it was in our evidence locker, which you were in yesterday. Guess which theory I'm leaning toward."

Debra's eyes stared right into his when she spoke to him. The look on her face made it clear that she suspected that he was somehow responsible for the charges being thrown out.

"So I voluntarily gave you the pen as evidence to have Hannah arrested and brought up on murder charges and then I tampered with the evidence to get the case dismissed. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?" Dex asked back with a chuckle, discounting her theory.

"Fuck me, I don't know anything anymore! I'm so losing my shit! I can't-"

Her voice cut off with a strangled cry. She began to sob as she brought both her hands up to cover her face. First one of Miami Metro's own had been found murdered and then Hannah McKay had slipped right through the cracks of justice. She didn't think the day could possibility get any worse.

"It's going to be fine, Deb. What you need to do is focus on the Melendez case. The guy was a good cop, and his killer needs to be brought to justice. You know that Dad would have insisted that the case would be top priority until it was solved. You need to make Dad proud."

Dexter knew exactly what he was doing by shifting the focus from Hannah onto the dead cop. Additionally, bringing Harry into the mix would only further cement the importance of the new case into his sister's mind. If Dex could keep her focused on her work, he could possibly delay the inevitable when his sister would find out that he was back with Hannah.

Mention of her father only caused Debra to get more emotional. Before Dex even had time to react, she pulled him into a hug. She held him tight while she bawled into his shoulder. Awkwardly, he brought his hands to her back and began to pat her in an attempt to provide her with some comfort. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Brian. His imaginary brother was repeatedly banging the back of his head against the wall he was leaning against.

_Brian: "This is painfully pathetic, Dexter."_

"Deb, I need to get back to work. I promised Jamie that I'd be home with Harrison at a decent hour because she's going out tonight." explained Dex as he pulled away from his sister.

His words caused her to take a step back. Her face was flushed, her eyes already puffy and red. She sucked air in before retorting with voice that was trembling with anger.

"Is everything always about you, Dex? Fuck!"

Dexter's jaw dropped in response to her sudden emotional shift. Her emotions seemed to be on a swinging pendulum; first she was screaming at him over Hannah McKay, then she was crying in his arms, and then she was back to cursing at him.

He didn't know what he should reply, but it turned out that he didn't have to say a word, because she stormed right out of the laboratory in the same manner she had entered it.

_Brian: "I can't believe I was even able to pretend to be in love with that woman. She's an emotional cripple and you're her crutch. You should have just told her the truth. She'll find out sooner or later. At least then you can stop putting on this elaborate charade."_

_"With everything that happened today, the dead cop, Hannah being set free, I don't think she could handle it."_

Brian rolled his eyes. He then walked over to where his little brother was standing and put an arm around him.

_Brian: "Who cares if she can handle it? You're not free if you're having to lie about who you really are."_

_"I care, she's still my sister, blood or not. She proved her loyalty to me in that cargo container on new year's eve. Explaining to her about why I helped Hannah now would only further upset her. She needs some time to cool down, then I'll sit her down and tell her everything."_

* * *

After her emotional blow up in front of her brother, Debra had sought sanctuary in the confines of her office. She kept telling herself over and over again that she needed to channel her thoughts to the details of the Melendez case. Unfortunately, her mind kept deviating to the release of Hannah McKay.

The fingers of her right hand began to tap repeatedly on her desk as she contemplated reaching in her desk draw for his Xanax prescription. A pill know would surely take the edge off and allow her to get back to work. Before she could move for the desk draw, a knock at her office door caused her to snap to.

"Come in." She said with a hint of nervousness to her voice while she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

The door opened and Detective Quinn came through it with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Hey, I thought you could use a little-pick-me-up. It's been a hell of a day." He explained with a smile as he handed her the cup.

"Yeah, no shit, thanks for the coffee." muttered Deb with a hint of a smile.

"You're welcome. And I've got some good news that might also help lift your spirits. We were able to I.D. the suspect who threatened Carlos Melendez by looking through his closed cases. His name is Angus Gibson and he has well known ties with the Aryan Brotherhood. We plan on bringing him in first thing tomorrow for questioning."

"Well, that's the best fucking news I heard all day. You should let Dexter know about the lead. If we have the profile of the suspect, he can cross reference it with the blood spatter analysis he collected at the crime scene."

"I would've, but he just let for the day. I filled Masuka in though."

Deb instinctively narrowed her eyes at the mention of her brother already leaving work. She hadn't left his lab more than a few minutes ago, and now he was already gone? Dex had mentioned to her to her that he was going home early to be with Harrison, but was the really the case? How many times had he used a convenient lie to conceal what he was really up to? Was this one of those instances? She could drive by his apartment, see if he was really there playing the role of good father to her nephew.

"Deb, you okay?"

Joey's voice brought her back to reality and she quickly answered back.

"Yeah, umm, just make you leave a copy of the that case on my desk before you leave for the day. I'm going to be taking off too."

* * *

Dexter had kept his promise to Jamie. After leaving Miami Metro, his first stop was home to pick up his son. The nanny seemed pleased that he was taking Harrison out of the apartment for some father-son time. She was already wanting to get dolled up for her evening with Joey.

"Daddy's taking you to see someone special." Dex informed his three year old, glancing back at him in the rear view mirror.

Harrison had not even asked where his father was taking him. He was, of course, unaware of what had transpired earlier in the day. All he would know was that Hannah had returned from her far away trip in order to be with him and Daddy.

The Ford Escape pulled up alongside the familiar pink and white house. To Dexter's surprise, Hannah was in the driveway unloading potted flowers from her van. She ceased her activity when her eye caught sight of his arrival.

_"When you truly love someone, you are willing to risk everything to be together; a career, the acceptance of those you care about, even your own freedom. Hannah and I took that risk together and it paid off."_

Hannah smiled when she saw Dex emerge from his SUV. She thinking about running to greet him, but froze when she saw that he was going in to one of the back passenger doors. As if on cue, her smile intensified when she saw him lift Harrison out of his seat and set him on the sidewalk. Dexter bent down to his son's eye level before giving him instruct.

"Look who's standing over there."

The blonde haired little boy peered in the direction his father's finger was pointing. Immediately, his face lit up when he saw Hannah.

"Hannah!" The child shrieked with excitement.

McKay slipped her gardening gloves into the back pocket of her jeans. She crouched down when she saw the three year old running full force toward her.

"Harrison! Hi, sweetheart, I missed you!"

Dex couldn't help but grin while he watched his son run into his girlfriend's arms. She pulled him into a loving embrace before lifting him off the ground and perching him on her hip. Once in her arms, Hannah showered him with kisses on both of his rosy cheeks.

_"I'd be lying if I said that I was keeping Hannah only for my own selfish need. The truth is that I did it for son as well. His attachment to her made it clear to me how much he wants her in his life. Rita would have wanted him to have a maternal figure besides a live-in nanny. "_

Dexter walked over to join his girlfriend and son. Upon approaching, he wrapped an arm around Hannah. His hand cupped the small of her back ushering both of them into his embrace. The couple's smiles mirrored one another before they kissed tenderly.

"Your plan worked perfectly." She commented once their kiss broke.

"I knew it would. Now you know that you don't have to try and solve every problem on your own. You can trust me to protect you. I love you." He muttered back as he brought a hand to her face to caress her.

"I know I can. I love you too." whispered Hannah bringing her forehead to his.

Dexter and Hannah were so engaged in their own little world that neither of them noticed Debra's unmarked police vehicle that was parked across the street a house or two down the road. Deb was just sitting there. Her eyes fixated on her brother and Hannah as her jaw trembled. Tears collected in the brims of her eyes. She blinked causing two watery trails to cascade down her face. Dexter had lied to her.


	5. Episode 5: To Protect and Serve

_"A pen cap tossed into the ocean and a P.A.'s testimony. That was all it took to put Hannah back into place in my life. Now that she's back, I know that I never want her to leave again."_

Dexter had on a boyish grin as he watched his girlfriend interacting with his son. Harrison was giggling nonstop while Hannah softly tickled his ribs with her fingers as she crouched behind him. She too was smiling, while she hugging him and dispensed kisses to his cheek.

"Why'd you go away?" Harrison questioned sweetly after he turned to face her. His innocent brown eyes focusing intently into hers.

The child's abrupt inquiry caused Hannah's mouth to gape while her mind tried to come up with the appropriate response that wasn't as disturbing as the truth: Daddy letting Aunt Deb put Hannah in jail because she tried to poison her. No three year old should ever have to process something like that.

McKay's eyes shifted to Dexter and he immediately sucked in his breath. He didn't have an answer ready either, but he thought one up quickly before his girlfriend could make an attempt.

"Hannah's dad died and she had to go to his funeral in Alabama."

Dex's response caused Hannah's eyes to widen. That was the best explanation of her absence that he could give to his little boy? Putting aside the truth of Clint McKay being dead, it wasn't something he should have shared with his child. Morgan must have seen the expression on her face. He shrugged his shoulders in response to her curious gaze.

Hannah turned her attention back to the child. She gave him a loving smile before she spoke:

"Harrison, sweetie, how would you like to help me take care of all of my plants? I've been gone for a while and they need a lot of work."

"Yeah, I'll help you!" He exclaimed with excitement.

"Maybe Daddy can help us too." offered Hannah, taking Harrison by the hand. She stood up and looked back at Dex.

"Yeah, sure." Dexter muttered back as his mouth pulled into a smile yet again. Morgan reached out and took his son's other hand.

Meanwhile, in the distance was Lieutenant Morgan. She was frozen in place. Her blurry vision remained fixed on the murderous couple as they then retreated into the backyard with her nephew, hand-in-hand as if they were a happy fucking family. When Debra lost sight of her brother and his lover, she told herself that she needed to confront them. It took her a few moments to even open the driver side door, and even longer to exit the car. Upon doing so, she was immediately overcome with anxiety: the thought of her brother playing her for a fool at the station, knowing that he had done so for Hannah McKay.

Her rate of breath hastened, compelling her to sit down on the sidewalk. She was light headed. Deb knew that there would be a chance that she might fall if she tried to hussle across the street like she really wanted to. She trusted that it had to be because of Dexter that Hannah was now a free woman. Shit, for all she knew, her brother was behind McKay's escape from prison as well. One thing was for certain, Dexter was still with her, despite the fact that the bitch had tried to end Deb's life. How could he do this to her, especially after all she had done for him?

Without even realizing it, Debra began to slowly rock back and forth from where she sat on the residential sidewalk. Her heart felt like it was breaking; a dull aching that was certainly caused by her brother's blatant betrayal. For the first time in a long time, Deb struggled to even formulate in her mind what she would say to her brother if she did choose to cross the street and confront him at Hannah's. She, Debra Morgan, the outspoken foul mouthed Lieutenant of Homicide, was at a loss for words. She had no choice but to retreat. The peace and quiet of her beach abode would provide her with the solace that she so desperately needed now.

After Deb managed to get herself back into her unmarked car, she quickly sped off. She must have broken quite a few speed limits on the way home from Hannah's. She didn't care. All she wanted was a cold beer and her pills; a makeshift sanctuary from her emotional state.

To her surprise, she saw Quinn's Cadillac parked in front of her place. What the hell was he doing there? Before she could even get out of her car, she caught sight of him exiting his automobile and making his way over to her.

"Hey Deb, you left your cell phone at the station. I found it sitting on your desk when I went into your office to leave you the case file. I thought you'd need it so I brought it out to ya." Joey explained the minute he approached her. In his hands was, indeed, her cell phone that she had completely forgotten about while she was in a hurry to check up on her brother.

Debra did not reply to him as she got out of the police car before slamming the door shut behind her. She didn't even take her cell phone back from him when he held it out to her as she passed right by. Joey looked puzzled by her demeanor. It was like he was invisible to her and she was like a mindless zombie walking toward the entrance of her beach house.

"Hello, Earth to Deb. Are you just gonna ignore me?" He then asked a little annoyed by her lack of gratitude as he slipped her phone into his back pocket. He had gone out of his way to bring her phone to her despite the fact that he had a date with Jamie.

His words seemed to have no effect on her as she continued on. It was Joey's final comment that elicited a response from her:

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you just pissed because Hannah McKay was found innocent of the charges and is free to get back with your brother? I don't get it. You act like you're jealous of them or something."

Quinn's words caused Debra to halt. Him bringing up her brother and the murderous bitch was enough to snap her out of her seemingly vegetative state. It put a flame to the burning anger inside of her that should have been meant for her brother and Hannah.

She whipped back around to face Joey. The look on her face caused his jaw to drop. He quickly realized that he had said the wrong thing. Before he could even make an attempt to back pedal, she charged at him and began throwing a barrage of fists.

"You fucking fuck! You don't know what the fuck you're talking about! Just shut the fuck up!" screamed Debra while Quinn did his best to deflect her onslaught. After a brief struggle, he was able to grab a hold of both of her arms.

"Jesus, Deb! Calm down! I'm sorry! What the hell is going on? Talk to me!" He shouted over her.

The harshness of his voice was enough to make Debra refrain from her offense. Her breath was erratic. Her eyes glistening with fresh tears that were ready to escape down her face. When Joey took notice, he immediately tried to comfort her, but she pulled away from him.

"Deb, wait, don't just walk away from me." insisted Joey.

She was already retreating to her house as Quinn decided to follow after her. He couldn't just leave her when he saw how upset she was, not in her current state.

Through her tear filled vision, Deb managed to gain entry into her home. She attempted to slam the door shut behind her but Joey was there to catch it before it closed. Debra allowed herself to collapse onto her couch; her face buried in the seat cushion.

Without saying a word, Joey sat down on the edge of the sofa alongside her. He gently placed his hand on her back, making his supportive presence known.

"Fucking Dexter..." She voiced in a muffled cry. "After all I've done for him he went back to her."

"Like I told you before, Deb. I'm here if you want to talk about it. It might help getting it off your chest." Joey whispered softly.

His offer caused Debra to pull herself up and face him. She drew in a sharp breath and held it. Deb desperately wanted to tell him everything; to confess about what she did to Laguerta, for her selfish brother and how he betrayed her by going back to the woman who had tried to poison her. Just saying it all aloud to someone would feel like a relief to her. The only person in the world that really knew what was eating away at her was Dexter, and he was not there for her. But who was she kidding? The burden of what she did and her loyalty to her serial killer brother was hers alone to bear. She couldn't drag Quinn into it.

"I can't.." She breathed on the verge of losing her composure again.

"Look, whatever it is, it will stay between us. You can trust me, you know that, right?"

Deb's jaw trembled. Her shimmering brown eyes were piercing his. He was being so caring, especially for a man who's heart she had broken only two years ago. It was a testament to how much Quinn cared about her.

"You're too good to me, Joey, and I don't deserve it. I'm not a good person." sobbed Debra.

Quinn shook his head and then brought his hands to her face. His fingers gently tucked her hair behind her ears before he spoke back in a soft voice:

"Just because you don't always make the best decisions, doesn't mean you're not a good person. I know you, Deb. You're a sexy, foul mouth cop with a heart of gold."

His compliment elicited a slight smile to form on her face. Her reaction to his words compelled him to finish his thought without hesitation:

"And I worry that no other woman in the world will ever make me as happy as I was when I was with you."

His confession caused Debra's lips to part. She looked like she was in shock by what he had said and immediately Quinn began to question the appropriateness of what he had just told her.

"Shit, I'm sorry, you must think I'm a fucking douche bag for going on and on when you're obviously upset-"

Before Joey could finish his sentence, he was abruptly cut off when Deb's lips crashed into his. She let out a sigh as the kiss quickly turned passionate. It was Quinn who pulled away from her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he tried to be the voice of reason.

"Wait, Deb, what are we doing here? You're distraught and we shouldn't be doing something you're going to regret later."

But she didn't care. At that moment, Joseph Quinn's arms seemed like the only comfort that she had in the world. She needed to feel loved, to feel needed. And if Joey could give that to her then why not? Her life couldn't get any more fucked up.

Debra ignored his words as she slowly closed the space between them. Their noses touched before she pleaded a whisper.

"I need you, Joey. Please, I need you..."

Her words caused his eyes to close and within seconds, they were lip locked again. This time, however, neither one of them pulled away as their kissing deepened. Deb was sexually charged, the aggressor of the encounter, while Joey was simply keeping up with her needy lust that seemly came out of nowhere. All thoughts of Jamie and his impending date disintegrated from his consciousness. Quinn was entirely in the heat of the moment with the woman who until now, he thought had gotten away.

* * *

In the Hannah-Flora Nursery greenhouse, Dexter stood by as Hannah and Harrison finished re-potting the last plant that needed attention. Harrison loved helping with the plants, as it was evident from his overzealous shoveling of soil into the small pot. While kneeling next to the child, Hannah removed her garden gloves and smiled at him.

"I think you got more dirt on your shirt than you did in the flower pot." Hannah chuckled and used her hand to gently brush the soil off the front of him.

"I'm a mess!" Harrison exclaimed with a laugh as he stuck his tongue out playfully and giggled.

"Yes you are." Dexter chimed in before diverting his attention.

Morgan pulled out his cell phone and glanced at its display.

_"No word from Deb. She's probably still at the station working on the Melendez case. A cop killer is the best distraction she could have until I figure out how to tell her about Hannah and the pregnancy."_

"Everything okay?" Hannah inquired when she noticed him with his cell phone in hand.

Dex's eyes returned to his lover and he gave a nod. He returned his phone to his pants' pocket and watched as McKay stood upright.

"Come here, you. Let's get you cleaned up inside." gushed Hannah when she lifted Harrison off his feet and perched him on her hip.

"I'm hungry." The child told Hannah after he nuzzled his head comfortably against her neck.

"Oh, well I really don't have anything to make. My pantry is pretty much bare since I've been gone."

"Why don't we go back to my apartment. Jamie always makes sure to keep the kitchen fully stocked. She's on a date so we'll have the place to ourselves; just the three of us." Dexter offered closing the space between them.

"That sounds nice..." She softly whispered with a smile.

"Yeah..." Dex quickly agreed softly before using a hand to wipe away a speck of dirt from her cheek.

"Kind of like we'd be playing house.. pretending to have a family life with kids..."

She looked off into the distance as she trailed off. Dexter's touch brought her gaze back to him when he placed his hand to her flat stomach before he spoke:

"We won't have to pretend."

His words elicited a content sigh from Hannah, her mouth forming a smile. Dexter Morgan was giving her a family. It was all she had ever wanted with every man she had ever been with. This time it was different; she knew it, and nothing was going to keep her from having the life she always wanted, especially Debra.

* * *

Porter Investigations, the fancy brass letters spelled across the wall of the fourth floor of one of the largest office buildings in Miami. Batista had come straight from finishing up his day at Miami Metro. Nicholas Porter, the lead investigator and owner of the company, had been willing to squeeze in a meeting with Angel before the end of his work day. A receptionist was quick to greet him when he approached her desk.

"Hello, welcome to Porter Investigates, how can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Angel Batista, I'm here to see Nicholas Porter." Batista replied as he removed his fedora hat.

Before the receptionist could respond, Porter came out into the lobby to greet his potential client.

"Detective Sergeant Batista, I believe we spoke on the phone. I'm Nicholas Porter." Nicholas announced in an outgoing voice with his hand extended.

Nick was a well groomed man in his mid-thirties. He looked like he had stepped right out of an issue of GQ magazine, much better dressed than any Private Investigator that Batista had ever seen.

"Thanks so much for fitting me into your schedule."

"Don't mention it, I like to help out the local PD whenever I can. Follow me to my office and we can talk shop." Porter replied motioning for Angel to follow him down the hallway to his spacious office.

"You've got a nice office space here." commented Angel as he followed Nick down the corridor.

"Yeah, it is. I pay a pretty penny to rent it out, but I think it's worth it. It's got style."

"I take it your company is doing well." Batista inquired taking a seat in a chair in front of Nick's desk.

Porter made his way to his leather office chair and sat down. He immediately leaned back, bringing his feet up to his desk before responding to Angel.

"We're definitely in the black. Most of our work comes from investigating cheating spouses and locating stolen property. We have taken on a few bounty hunting cases that paid considerably well. But, ah, truth is that I started this company with money that was left to me by my parents. I'm a trust fund kid, an only child. Anyway, enough about me and my company, what can I do for you, Detective Sergeant Batista?"

"I would like to hire you to investigate the death of my ex-wife."

Nick frowned, looking a bit puzzled. He brought both sets of fingers together in front of his face before replying:

"Why do you need to outsource? I would think Miami Metro would be more than capable with handling it."

Batista shifted in his chair. He looked down at his fedora hat that was still in his hand.

"My ex-wife was Captain Maria Laguerta. She was shot and killed by Hector Estrada. I wanted to investigate the case myself, but it was turned over to the FBI. I guess they thought our homicide team would be too close."

"So if the FBI is already looking into the case, why do you need me? I mean, I'm happy to take your money, but I'm curious as to where I fit in. It seems a little like overkill, don't you think?"

"The FBI thinks that it's an open and shut case, but I'm not convinced. I'd like another pair of eyes looking at the evidence. I'd do it myself, but the FBI might be right in thinking that I'm too emotionally wrapped up in all of it."

"Well, I'll be glad to take on the case, but I must warn you, my upfront fee is considerable regardless if anything turns up in light of my investigation."

"I understand how it works. Por favor, this is going to give me some peace of mind knowing that someone is looking into what happened to Maria."

"All right, let's do business. You can leave your contact information and the deposit with my receptionist up front. I will call you as soon as I have reason to." Porter replied leaning forward to extend his arm for a handshake over his desk.

After a handshake, Porter rose from his seat to show Batista to the door of his office. Once alone in the room, Nick walked back to his desk, opened one of the drawers, and pulled out a small tray that had white lines across it. Placing the tray on his desk, he used a coke spoon to snort a line. Nick sighed, then inhaled through his nose a few times. He wiped the excess cocaine from his nose and rubbed it on his gum line.

* * *

When Dexter brought Hannah and Harrison back to his apartment, he was a bit surprised to see that Jamie was still there. In turn, Jamie was surprised to see Hannah McKay out of police custody and standing in Dexter's apartment holding Harrison.

"Dexter, what's going on?" Jamie asked, sounding a bit uneasy.

Hannah just stood there and allowed her boyfriend to do all the explaining. It was his master plan that had been carried out to earn her freedom. She was sure that he had an answer for whatever any of his friends and colleagues threw at him.

"I take it you didn't watch the news today. Evidence came to light that exonerated Hannah. The state of Florida dropped all charges against her."

"Oh my God, that's unbelievable. I can't believe Miami Metro would make a mistake like that. I mean, Deb arresting an innocent woman when there was evidence out there that proved that she didn't kill Price?"

"Yeah, I know, it was a mistake, but I won't be pressing charges against the department. I know Dexter loves his job there and his co-workers. I just want to move on with my life." Hannah explained, grabbing hold of Dexter's hand.

"Well, I'm so glad it was proven that you were innocent. I know how much Dexter and Harrison love you."

Jamie followed her comment up with a quick hug that McKay accepted. Dexter was eager to move the conversation to something else. Without missing a beat, he pointed out the fact that his nanny was not out to dinner with Quinn.

"So Jamie, what are you still doing here? I mean, I thought you had a date with Quinn."

Hannah took Dexter's change of topic as her cue to take Harrison into the living room and occupy him with some toys.

Jaime responded. "So did I. Joey never showed up. He's not answering his phone either. I hope he's okay, it's not like him just to blow off a date."

The idea of Jamie possibly being stood up by her boyfriend, compelled Hannah to insert herself back into the conversation as she sat on the floor with Harrison in her lap:

"Well, you are more than welcome to have dinner with us if you want."

"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'm going to go over to Joey's and see if he's there. I'm worried about him. Besides, you guys could use some family time. You have no idea how much Harrison has missed you." Jamie grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter and took her leave.

The nanny's comments about little Harrison missing her caused Hannah to beam with happiness. It was so heartwarming for her to hear from a third party that Dexter's little one was so attached to her. She loved that little guy and was looking forward to the possibility of raising him with Dexter along with their child.

Upon Jamie's departure, Hannah took to preparing a meal in the kitchen while Dexter played with Harrison in the living room. When the food preparation was close to being finished, Dex rearranged his desk into a makeshift dinner table so that they could eat together as a family.

"Who's hungry?" Hannah asked the minute the meal was ready to be served.

"Me!" Harrison shouted raising his hands above his head.

_"Our first family dinner since Hannah came back into our lives; the first of many more."_

Throughout dinner, Harrison did most of the chatting. He told Hannah all about what he and Jamie had been up to since he saw her last on Christmas Eve. Dexter and Hannah smiled at each other frequently as the child went on and on. They could tell that Harrison loved having both of them with him.

The after dinner entertainment came in the form of a recording of Harrison's favorite TV program, Rasta Mouse. The child watched his show intently while sitting on Hannah's lap. Dexter sat right next to them. Morgan lovingly caressing his girlfriend's arm as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I think he's out for the count." Dexter whispered when he noticed his son's eyes were closed. "If you want, I'll put him to bed and you can put something else on."

"No, I can take him."She replied back in a hushed voice.

Morgan watched while Hannah gently shifted the sleeping child in her arms before standing up with him. Little Harrison let out a sigh before nuzzling his face into Hannah's neck as if on instinct while he slept. Dexter followed Hannah into his son's room. He remained at the doorway and observed her tending to his child.

_"Look at her. Being a mother comes so naturally to Hannah. She's nurturing and loving, but at the same time capable of taking life without hesitation to protect herself and the ones she loves. What mother wouldn't kill to protect her children? Hannah is no different, except I know she would follow through with it."_

Once Harrison was tucked into bed, McKay gave him a soft kiss on his forehead before retreating. Dexter took her into his arms for a loving embrace. They both turned to watch the sleeping child.

"You really are great with him. You're going to be a great mother to him and our unborn child." whispered Dex. His words caused Hannah to smile wide.

"I love him like he's my own. I'd do anything to protect him." She admitted, still gazing at the three year old.

"I know..." He replied before kissing her tenderly.

The soft kiss provided an invitation for Hannah to initiate a kiss of her own that was much more passionate. They then paused for a moment, their foreheads touching.

"Stay the night." Dex offered in a husky whisper that was filled with desire.

Hannah nodded as an unspoken reply. She allowed her lover to take her by the hand and lead her to his bedroom.

* * *

The bedroom of Debra's beach house was even more of a mess than usual. A mix of hers and Joey's clothing littered the floor. Both of their bodies glistened with sweat from their earlier romp. Some impromptu sex was just what Deb needed to escape from her life, even if it was just for a few hours. Quinn was all smiles, happy to have who he considered to be the love of his life back in his arms.

"How about a late dinner? I say we get shitfaced drunk and-"

"Fuck! Dinner! Shit, I was suppose to have dinner with Jamie!" Quinn exclaimed, cutting off Deb from finishing her sentence.

He sprang out of bed and immediately began to gather his clothes from the floor. Deb sat up to watch him. She looked a bit disappointed by the fact that he was going to cut their time together short. It had been so comforting sharing a bed with someone else. And now, with Joey rushing off, she was going to be all alone again. Alone to think about the day's events. Her mind was going to torture her with the constant thought of Hannah McKay being with her brother and nephew.

"So, what? You're just going to fuck me and leave? Fucking wham bam, thank you m'am?" She voiced with frustration.

"You know it's not like that. Jamie is probably freaked out that I didn't show up. My cell is out in my car, she's probably tried to call a dozen times."

"Fine! Get the fuck out!" Deb hollered. She grabbed his Cadillac keys from her bedside table and threw them at him.

"Jesus, Deb, it doesn't have to be like this!" Joey insisted when he bent down to pick up his car keys.

"Get..the fuck...out, Joey!" She screamed again, this time moving to the edge of the bed to be closer to where he was standing. She pointed in the direction of her beach house's front door.

Quinn finally let out a sigh and did as she demanded. When Deb heard the front door slam shut, she got to her feet and put on one of her t-shirts and a pair of underwear. With haste she then made her way into her kitchen. A cold beer from the refrigerator had her name on it as did two Xanax tablets.

* * *

Much to Quinn's surprise, Jamie had let herself into his apartment and had been waiting for him to come home. The minute he walked through his front door, she approached him with a look of concern. The young lady had been sitting in his empty apartment for an hour or two, her mind sick with worry. She had even contemplated calling her brother to try and get in touch with him.

"Joey, where were you? We were suppose to go out tonight. I was worried."

"I know, I'm sorry. I've been working my ass off on this Melendez case and I fell asleep at the office. I had my phone on vibrate so I missed all of your calls. I'm sorry that I worried you, babe." He lied before attempting to lean in to give her a kiss.

Jamie moved away from him and peered directly into his eyes.

"Really, Joey? Because I called the station, they said you had left around five this afternoon. Why don't you try being honest with me? Where were you tonight?"

Quinn let out a long sigh and folded his arms. She had him. He hated that she had caught him in a lie. Joey knew that he was going to hurt her when he told her the truth. Jamie was going to find about him and Deb being on again sooner or later. Maybe he should just get it out of the way.

"I was with Deb. We slept together...I'm sorry, Jamie."

Joey's eyes darted away from her. He couldn't even look at her face after dropping that bombshell. He felt like a real asshole. Quinn was caught off guard when he felt a stinging slap right across his face.

"I deserved that..." Quinn replied touching his hand to his cheek.

"You're right, you did. You and I? We're done. I'm going to grab my stuff."

Jamie quickly went through the apartment and grabbed a handful of her possessions that she had kept over at Quinn's place when she would stay over. When she marched back up to the apartment foyer, Joey was still there and he opened the door for her.

"I'm so sorry, Jamie. I never wanted to hurt you."

"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that I ever got involved with you." She retorted before walking out.

Joey brought both his hands up to his face as he heard Jamie slam the door shut. There went another relationship up in smoke. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter. He knew deep down inside that Jamie Batista was not the woman he saw marrying one day. Still, he couldn't help feeling bad for putting her in the situation of being cheated on. God, he was never going to hear the end of this from Angel.

* * *

Debra's alcohol and Xanax induced slumber had made her sleep right through her alarm. She arrived at Miami Metro at half passed ten. Before even entering the building, she stopped at the catering cart for a tall cup of coffee. Caffeine was her best chance of getting her through the day. Deb was dreading having to see Dexter at work. She was sure that he would continue to put on a charade of being completely innocent in the Hannah McKay case. He would play her for a fool.

Batista was the first one of the homicide team to notice Debra's arrival. She immediately came up to him before even putting her things in her office. Angel and a few of the other detectives were gathered around the monitor to watch Joey question the suspect.

"Morning, Deb. We were wondering when you were going to come in. I ran the briefing this morning. Quinn has Angus Gibson in the interrogation room. He cooperated and came in on his own for questioning. We have nothing to tie him to Melendez's death, so let's hope Quinn can get something out of him in the cross examination."

Lieutenant Morgan tried to focused her attention on Joey's interview. She could tell that Gibson knew that Miami Metro had no evidence against him other than Melendez's wife stating that he had threatened them in the past. It wasn't long before the suspect rose from his seat and demanded that the interview was over.

"I got fucking nothing. Fucking skin head knows that we have no hard evidence linking him to the murder. The bastard is going to walk unless we find something that will stick." Joey told his co-workers the moment he came out of the interrogation room and Gibson had left.

Deb folded her arms and took a quick look around the station. Her eyes focused on the forensic lab window to see if she'd see her brother. He wasn't there. She saw Masuka leaving the forensics area, he came walking over to them.

"Where's Dexter? He should have been watching this." Deb asked aloud to her team.

Batista answered back. "He said he was going to be in later today. He said it was personal." 

"Personal? What the fuck does that mean?"

Angel shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. He just said personal, so I didn't ask." 

Masuka took the opportunity to add his usual off color comment. "I'm sure personal has to do with Hannah McKay who he's probably bow chica bow wowing as we speak. Huhuhuhuh." Vince raising a hand to Batista for him to slap.

Morgan interjected, clearly annoyed by Vince putting salt in the ever present Hannah McKay wound. "Why the hell are you standing around, Masuka? You should be focused on going over the forensics on the Melendez case again! We need to nail this fucker to the wall!" 

Debra's outburst caused the homicide division to disperse leaving just her and Joey standing there. He took advantage of the moment and attempted to clear the air between them about last night.

"Deb, about last night. Jamie and I-"

"I don't want to fucking hear it, Joey. I was feeling like shit and we had sex. That's all, there's no need to make a big deal out of it."

Quinn shook his head and brought his hand to her waist. He leaned in close to the side of her face before responding.

"It was more than that and you know it."

Debra and Joey's eyes met. There was a moment where they looked like they were going to kiss, but it was Deb who disengaged, moving away from his touch. She didn't want all the officers at the station seeing her and Quinn putting on any kind of PDA.

"Where are you going?" He then asked as she began to walk toward the elevators.

Joey calling after her did nothing to break her stride as she completely ignored his inquiry. She had just gotten to work and she was leaving already. Dexter having something "personal" to do was plaguing her mind. She actually hoped he was off killing someone. Even that would be better than him spending time with Hannah McKay. God, what if they were killing someone together? There would be no way she could focus on police work until she got to the bottom of what her brother was up to.

* * *

Dexter stood by Hannah's side while she laid on the examining table. He had made an appointment for her at what had been Rita's OBGYN. Now that Hannah had beaten the charges, it was time to make sure that their tiny unborn child was okay.

"Thanks again for fitting us in on such short notice." 

"You are welcome. It worked out that we had a cancellation."

Hannah watched intently as the doctor applied the clear jelly to her flat abdomen. Even though she'd never show it, she was a bundle of nerves. Was her baby healthy? She had taken a small dose of aconite in order to induce the seizure that had allowed her escape. What if she had hurt the baby in the process? The first few months were critical in the baby's development. She didn't know if she could take another miscarriage.

"Does everything look okay?" McKay asked immediately as soon as the ultrasound wand made contact with her skin.

"Let me see..." The doctor muttered as she began to slowly move the wand across McKay's abdomen while her eyes watched the computer screen.

Hannah grabbed hold of Dexter's hand as she waited with anticipation for the baby to be found. Dexter could sense that she was uneasy. He decided to speak up.

"Hannah was pregnant a year or two ago with her ex-husband and she miscarried. She's just a little nervous that something could be wrong with this pregnancy as well."

"Well let me put you at ease. You see that? There's your baby's heart beat. It is strong and steady. Everything looks very good. He or she is developing quite nicely. I would say you are about six weeks along."

McKay let out a sigh of relief that was followed by a giggle. She smiled at Dexter before looking up at the monitor. This was real. The small misshaped oval on the screen was their child and it was healthy. Dex's mouth was parted as he stared intently at the little heartbeat.

_"A heartbeat. The first sign of a new life being formed. Over the course of both of our lives, Hannah and I have stilled the hearts of many. Us, creating a new life together instead of bringing one to an end. It's somewhat poetic."_

Dexter leaned over and kissed Hannah on her forehead causing her to turn to face him. They shared a smile and then a tender kiss.

* * *

"Harrison, are you ready to go swimming?" Jamie called out from the other part of the apartment.

"I'm drawing a picture!" He answered back without ceasing his coloring.

A minute or so later, the nanny walked into the living room where Harrison was drawing at the coffee table. She bent down to put his floaties on.

"What are you drawing, little man?"

"A picture of Daddy and me for Hannah. It's almost done." explained Harrison as he switched crayons and resumed his work.

Before Jamie could attempt to persuade the three year old to get ready to go out to the pool, there was a knock at the door. The arrival of a guest made the child stop drawing and watch as his nanny went to answer the door.

Jamie Batista's face formed a scowl when she saw that the person on the other side of the door was Debra Morgan. Deb took notice of her facial expression and gave a look of surprise.

"Hi Jamie, I came to see Dexter. Is he here?"

Morgan's eyes tried to look passed the nanny to see who else was there before she attempted to come in.

"No, he's not. It's just me and Harrison. What do you want? Whatever you have to say to him, you can leave a message." Jamie quickly replied in a somewhat snippy tone of voice as she blocked Debra from entering.

"Umm, what the fuck is your problem?"

"You're my problem. You didn't think I'd find out about you sleeping with Joey? He told me about last night."

"Wow...Okay...Ah, I guess I owe you an apology then." Deb replied with a nervous laugh. This was really awkward. Fuck Quinn for not giving her a heads up that he told his girlfriend about them.

"Aunt Deb, come look at my drawing!"

It was Harrison's invitation for his aunt to enter the apartment that finally made Jamie move out of the way so that Debra could enter, and she did.

"Wow, that's pretty cool." She told her nephew when she went over to see his artwork.

"It's for Hannah." He added with a smile.

Morgan whispered one of her favorite obscenities from under her breath. She couldn't catch a break. Everything kept coming back to Hannah fucking McKay. It's like she couldn't escape that bitch.

And if things couldn't have gotten more uncomfortable and awkward, Dexter and Hannah came walking through the door together.

"Hannah!" Harrison exclaimed as he immediately grabbed hold of his picture and ran to take it to her.

"Hey Harrison, oh wow, what is this?" McKay asked after she lifted the boy off his feet and took the piece of construction paper into her hand.

"I made you a picture of me and Daddy." He said wrapping his arms around her neck.

"Oh, I love it! Thank you!"

Debra was at a loss for words when she saw the reaction Harrison had to Hannah's arrival. Not only had McKay cast a love spell on her brother, she had done so on her nephew too. Poor little Harrison had no idea that the woman who was holding him was a murderer. It wasn't fair to him, he was an innocent.

Dexter saw the look on Debra's face and could tell that things had the propensity to get very ugly very quickly.

"Harrison, why don't you and Jamie go for that swim now and let Daddy, Hannah, and Aunt Deb talk."

Jamie, who could feel the tension in the room only building, quickly grabbed the beach bag and Harrison's inflatable arm bands, before she took Harrison from Hannah and left the apartment. She was happy to get out of the room as well after the drama with Debra.

"What the fuck is she doing here? And what was so "personal" that you weren't at work this morning?" Debra finally asked breaking the silence in the room.

Hannah looked over at Dexter to see how he was going to handle Deb's barrage of questions. There was only a slight pause before he responded.

"The real question is what you're doing here. Why aren't you at the station trying to catch Melendez?" He muttered, turning the questioning back around on his sister.

"We brought Gibson in for questioning. It was a complete dead end since we had nothing to pin on him and the skin headed asshole wasn't going to give anything up. We're back to square one unless some other evidence or a witness comes to light." Deb explaining, not missing an opportunity to talk work. She pressed on.

"And don't change the subject. I want to know what's really going on here. You obviously had a hand in this murdering bitch beating her charges. I want to know what she's still doing here in our lives. It's only a matter of time before she tries to hurt a member of your family again. Next time it could be Harrison."

Debra bringing up the idea that Hannah would ever hurt Dexter's child made McKay spring into action. She moved across the room and got right in Deb's face, before Dex could even react.

"I would never hurt Harrison! I only go after people who threaten me!" Hannah hollered.

"Like me?"

"Yes, like you! That night I came to see you and asked you if we could work out our issues I was grasping at straws, trying to make you see that I loved your brother and wanted to be with him! I wanted you to see that we were happy and in love! I thought if you knew that you would back off and I wouldn't have to do what I did!"

"I will never let you be with my brother and nephew! You are poison! A black vortex of evil that destroys everything in your wake!"

"You don't have a choice in what Dexter does! He and Harrison love me and there's nothing you can do to change that!"

The sparring of words had come to a fever pitch that hit a crescendo when Debra grabbed hold of Hannah by her wavy blonde locks of hair causing Hannah to cry out in pain. Without even thinking, Dex went on the offense and grabbed hold of his sister. In one fluid motion, he sent her flying backwards and to the floor.

Debra wasn't hurt. Her head had missed the coffee table by only a few inches. She was shocked by the turn of events that had just taken place in a what felt like a heartbeat. Her eyes were wide as saucers, watching her brother who was now standing there with Hannah in an embrace.

Hannah's arms were around his neck, her hair was disheveled due to Deb's attempt at attacking her. She was hugging her boyfriend tightly. Once she loosened her grip on him, he whispered to her asking if she was alright. McKay nodded and then they both looked over at Debra who was still on the floor.

"Get out." Dexter muttered in a low growl.

His words caused Deb's eyebrows to furrow. Her mouth gaped open. She was at a complete loss of words while sitting there looking up at them. How could he have just put his hands on her, his own sister, in order to protect McKay?

One of Hannah's eyebrows raised slightly as she looked down at Deb. She then rested her head against Dexter's and waited for his sister to make the next move. Debra Morgan no longer had the higher ground in this bizarre triangle between them. This time was different. Dexter was choosing her over his adoptive sister. Deb was now learning that she was no longer the most important woman in Dexter Morgan's life.


	6. Episode 6: Requiem of the Code

_"Blood Spatter analysis. Not only my day job, but also my escape from the outside world."_

Dexter sat at his workstation with the shades drawn. He had finally made it to work after an eventful morning. Thankfully, there was no sign of his sister when he arrived at Miami Metro. After what had transpired, he couldn't face her; not now anyway.

_"Just me and blood. Crimson, vibrant strokes on a blank canvas, the blood tells an elaborate tale. I can look at a crime scene and know the last moments of a victim's life. It's clear-cut. Just like my life used to be."_

Brian appeared seated on one of the metal forensic stools. He spun himself around a few times before coming to a stop and peering over at his brother.

_Brian: "You're sulking, Dexter. Playing with your little blood slides isn't going to make it all go away. Come on, talk to big brother Biney."_

_"I could have hurt Deb today. I reacted on instinct when she went after Hannah. It's like I wasn't even in control."_

Brian edged the stool forward a few times to be closer to his brother before he responded back to him.

_Brian: "No, Dexter, you are finally taking control of your life. You're not letting Debra manipulate you into putting her needs before yours. You were protecting your real family. Hannah, the unborn baby: your blood, not any of that foster family bullshit."_

His older brother's words caused Dex to sigh. His mind thinking of what could have happened to his pregnant girlfriend if he had not intervened when she grabbed her by her hair.

_"She could have really hurt Hannah, causing her to miscarry. This feud between them has gone far enough. I have to do something to defuse it."_

Brian shrugged his shoulders and offered his suggestion:

_Brian: "Or you could just let Hannah do what she does. A sweet little dose of aconite and it's bye-bye Debra, problem solved."_

_"That's not going to happen. If I could do something for Deb to make up for what happened today; a peace offering of some kind."_

Morgan's eyes fell upon his Carlos Melendez lab report. He flipped through the crime scene notes as his mind began to formulate a possible solution.

_"I could get Deb the evidence she needs on Angus Gibson. The murder weapon wasn't found at the scene nor the police cruiser's dash cam. If evidence comes to light that proves his guilt, then Deb can make the arrest. If I can give my sister a cop killer gift wrapped, then maybe she will repay the favor by backing off of Hannah."_

_Brian: "That sounds a lot like when you let her arrest the phantom arsonist. That wasn't enough to persuade Deb from investigating Hannah."_

_"This is different. Angus Gibson killed one of Miami Metro's own. It hits close to home. I know Deb, there's nothing she hates more than a cop killer. Let's not forget Ray Speltzer."_

Dexter pulled up his netrangler search engine and searched the website of the motorcycle club that was associated with the Angus' white supremacist group.

_"Looks like Angus and his buddies have an event tonight. Angus lives alone, no wife and children. With him at this event, I can easily sneak into his place and look for evidence that ties him to the Melendez murder."_

Dexter quickly closed his browser when he heard his lab door open. He turned to see Batista entering. He gave a nod and a weak smile.

"Hey Dex, sorry to bother you. I just wanted to make sure you were still coming to the service for Maria tonight."

"Oh, yeah sure, of course, Angel." Dex responded, being caught a little bit off guard because the funeral service had completely skipped his mind.

"I wanted a morning service, but the church was booked up, do you believe that? Anyway, it worked out as you had to take the morning off, and we had to cross examine Gibson. If you see Deb, remind her for me."

"Actually, I don't think she's going to be able to make it. She was feeling kind of under the weather when I saw her earlier."

"Well, she did take Maria's death pretty hard. She might want to attend for closure, so just mention it to her. I'm having a get together for all of us at Papa's after the service."

"I'll be there." Dexter promised with a slight smile that quickly faded when Batista left the lab.

_"Just what I need to end my day: having to play the grieving friend and co-worker. I'll wear the mask, just like Harry taught me. Then I'll slip away to do my own investigation on Gibson."_

* * *

Hannah sighed contently as she finished fixing herself a cup of peppermint tea. She loved the fact that the mint in her tea came right from her garden. It would provide an herbal remedy for the nausea she found herself experiencing. She brought her herbal beverage into her main dining area. The double doors in the room were wide open looking out into her lush garden. The sounds of nature provided a backdrop to her serenity.

McKay seated herself at her round table where she had set the ultrasound picture the doctor had given her and Dexter. She must have studied it a dozen times since it had come into her possession. There wasn't much for her to see, but the idea that it was the first photograph of her child made it so special to her.

Taking a sip of her tea, Hannah glanced up at the wall where her calendar was hanging. The picture of Argentina for January 1996 was still displayed. Argentina: The concept of being able to have a nice and happy home. It was all she ever wanted for herself, and now, it was also the dream she had for her unborn child. Unlike Wayne and Jake, Dexter was going to make that dream a reality. Her and Dex were stronger than ever, having finally overcome the obstacle that was his foster sister, Debra. Finally, he was choosing her and the life that they could have together.

Her cell phone vibrating on the table beckoned her response. She reached for it and saw that it was Dexter texting her:

'Laguerta's funeral. Be my date?'

* * *

Captain Laguerta's funeral was being held at The Sacred Blood Catholic church that was in the heart of Miami. Dexter was wearing his black suit, the one that he wore to all funerals and court appearances. Hannah, who had taken up on his peculiar offer, was dressed in a simple black dress complete with matching shoes.

"Remind me again why you asked me to come with you. I've never even met Laguerta. All I need is for Deb to make a scene in front of a church full of people." Hannah commented when she took Dexter's hand so they could walk into the church together.

"I'm trying to keep up appearances. You're not going to have to worry about Deb showing up." Dex replied raising his eyebrows as an unspoken way to remind her about the circumstances surrounding Maria's death.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Still, are you sure that you want Miami Metro to know that you are back to dating the infamous Hannah McKay?" She asked looking a little uneasy at the many guests who were already entering the church.

Dexter slowed to a stop. He then took her other hand into his before speaking back to her:

"That part of your life is over. You're with me now; Dexter Morgan: blood spatter analyst by day, Dark Avenger by night." joked Dex.

"Dark Avenger, huh? Is that like the sidekick of the Dark Passenger?"

"Something like that."

She smiled wide and chuckled before taking him into a loving embrace. The hug ended with a peck on the lips. They continued into the church where they saw how big of a turnout the funeral service was getting. Laguerta had been very involved in the community and it definitely showed.

_"Along with her fellow officers in blue, the entire Latino community has come to show its support for Captain Laguerta. Just like Doakes, Maria never fit my code, but paid with her life to keep my secret. I'm glad that Deb isn't here. As unpredictable as my sister has been lately, she might have thrown herself on the casket and begged for Laguerta's forgiveness."_

Maria's coffin was closed and adorned with an array of flowers. A picture of her was displayed next to her remains. Dex saw everyone from the homicide department who were seated toward the front of the church. Masuka caught sight of him and McKay and gave Dexter a wink and a thumbs up.

Morgan led Hannah to one of the pews in the back of the church. As soon as they sat down, she leaned close and whispered in his ear.

"Do you think we have to worry about the church caving in on us?"

Hannah and Dexter both chuckled and exchanged smiles.

"No more jokes, I have to look mournful over the loss of our dear Captain." He muttered back in a whisper putting his serious face back on.

There was a few moments of silence between them as Morgan made it clear that he needed to look the part of a grieving co-worker. It was during that time that Hannah decided to share with him her experience of having to play the part of a mourner.

"I'm wearing the same dress I wore to Jake's funeral. I had to pretend to be so distraught. As if I would miss the man who wanted me to abort my child. The real grief came a week later when I lost the baby." She admitted in a hushed whisper.

McKay lowered her head as her eyes fixed on her flat abdomen. She had been pregnant with Jake's baby the last time she was in that dress.

_"I should say something; give her a response of some kind to comfort her. I've told her on more than one occasion that I'm nothing like Jake yet she keeps bringing him up."_

The start of the service curtailed Dexter's opportunity to give his girlfriend a verbal response. Not wanting to let her moment of sadness go unanswered, he took her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze to which she reciprocated.

The majority of the funeral mass was led by the Priest. Toward the end, there was an opportunity for people to approach the podium in order to express their remembrance of Maria. It was Batista who took the longest giving his thoughts and memories about his ex-wife.

_"Giving a eulogy for the woman you had once called your wife. I've been there. Funerals are not so much for the deceased as they are for the living who are left to pick up the pieces and move on without them. The ritual provides a sense of closure for those in the midst of bereavement."_

When the service ended, Dexter did his best to slip out of the church without being approached by anyone. He would have been happy to completely skip the gathering at Batista's restaurant, but Hannah insisted that they attend. She reminded Dexter about his ritual of keeping up appearances.

The sun was beginning to set by the time everyone rendezvoused at Papa's. To Dexter's surprise, Jamie arrived with Harrison so that she could be a part of the gathering. Perhaps she had not wanted to be by herself after her breakup with Quinn with only a three year old to keep her company.

"Looks like someone conked out early." Dex commented when Jamie approached with his son asleep in her arms.

"He was so excited to come when he got in the car and by the time we got here he was out like a light. I swear, he's getting so big and is not so easy to carry him around anymore."

Hannah offered with her arms outstretch for the child, "Here, I'll take him for you so you can go and spend time with your brother." 

The nanny immediately took McKay up on her offer. Once she had Harrison, Hannah sat down at one of the tables causing Dexter to follow.

Dex smiled, "Since you seem to have your hands full do you want me to get you something to drink?"

"Water would be fine." She responded, shifting the child into a position that was more comfortable for her.

When Morgan ventured over to the bar, Tom Matthews was there to meet him. The old family friend gave Dexter a swift pat on the back before putting his order in to the bartender.

"Dexter, must say it's a hell of a circumstance that brings us all together, but it's good to see you. Did you come with Debra? I didn't see her at the service."

"No, actually Deb was feeling under the weather, she couldn't make it. I just came with my girlfriend." Dex explained nudging his chin in the direction of where Hannah was seated causing Matthews to look in her direction.

"I didn't know you had taken up with Hannah McKay. She's quite the dish, isn't she? What a royal fuck up that Price case was for Miami Metro. Poison laced pen cap, my ass. What an embarrassment. Let's hope we don't screw up the Melendez case too."

"I know Deb has become obsessed with the case. She's been having a hard time with Laguerta's death and now the death of yet another cop."

"Yes, she's a lot like your old man. Harry really took the death of a fellow officer to heart. I said it before, I'm always here for you and Debra."

"Yeah, I know, and I appreciate that."

As soon as the bartender provided Dexter with his and Hannah's refreshments, he returned to their table. McKay gladly accepted her glass of ice water and immediately began to drink quite a bit. The minute Morgan took a seat next to her, he heard Batista calling him over.

Hannah remarked, raising an eyebrow. "You're a pretty popular guy, Dexter Morgan." 

Dex gave her a quick wink before getting to his feet. With his beer in hand, he ventured over to where Angel was standing alone at one of the low railings that went around the perimeter of his restaurant. He was looking out at the ocean tide.

"Hey Angel, it was a really nice service." Morgan began, trying his best to sound supportive to his long time friend and colleague.

"Yeah, it was. I wish Deb could have come, but I understand why she felt the need to stay away. She's not the only one who's having trouble moving on. No matter how many times I play the facts over and over in my head, something just seems a miss. I'm confiding in you because you know what it's like to lose a loved one." Batista admitted while Dexter took a drink of his beer.

"Yeah, that's definitely a part of the grieving process. When Rita died, I kept questioning everything, thinking that I could have done something to prevent it. But time definitely does heal wounds."

"I don't think time alone is going to do it for me, bro. I decided to hire a private investigator to look at the case. I thought maybe a fresh pair of eyes could help make sense of what happened. I just feel like it's the only way I'm going to get any kind of closure."

"It's worth a shot, right?" Dex agreed, shrugging nonchalantly.

_"Unfortunately for Angel, there's nothing for him to make sense of. I'm confident that I've disposed of all of Maria's evidence against Deb and me. The only story the crime scene tells is the one I fabricated. I easily allured the FBI, a private investigator is nothing to worry about."_

Jamie had ordered a drink from the bar. She noticed her older brother talking to her boss and decided that she would chat up Hannah, since she seemed to be just sitting there holding a sleeping child.

"Mind if I sit?" She asked approaching the empty chair next to McKay.

"No, go ahead."

Not a moment after Jaime sat down did Joey decide to make his presence at the restaurant known by approaching the table with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Hey Jaime, can we talk?" Quinn asked in a soft voice.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"I just don't feel right how things ended between us and-"

"Really, Joey? You want to bring this bullshit up after a funeral? I told you last night, we are over. I don't want to talk about it. I just want to forget that you even exist."

Her venomous words caused Joey Quinn to sigh and shake his head. He really was trying to do the right thing and smooth things over between them after the bad break up. He didn't want her to hate him. Perhaps he should have put some distance between them for longer than a twenty-four hour period.

Hannah spoke out after Joey left the table. "Wow, I'm sorry to hear that you guys ended things. Did it have something to do with him standing you up last night?" 

Jamie cut her eyes before taking a drink of her alcoholic beverage. It took her a moment before she responded to McKay's question.

"Debra Morgan happened. Joey and her hooked up last night when he was suppose to be on a date with me."

Hannah's mouth parted. Not only did Deb want to break up her and Dexter, but she had also been the reason for the break-up of Jamie's relationship with her boyfriend. McKay wondered how many other scandalous secrets Debra Morgan had in her closet. Deb was a liar, killer, and now a home wrecker.

"Oh my God, that's awful." Hannah replied empathically before continuing, "Does Dexter know?"

"I didn't want to bother him with my drama. I don't even think I've processed it yet. I've just been keeping my mind focused on taking care of Harrison."

"You should really take some time for yourself."

Jamie began to get a little teary eyed when she thought back to the night before; the look on Joey's face when he admitted to having an affair with Deb, the fact that he could just throw their relationship away like it was nothing.

"I just feel like such a dumb ass, I should have known that Joey was never going to get over Deb. I mean, he had asked her to marry him for God sake and when she said no it sent him into a complete downward spiral. And I thought the Ukrainian stripper was his rebound, but I guess it was actually me."

"Oh I wouldn't put it all on Joey. It seems that when Deb wants something she doesn't stop until she gets what she wants. I mean, look at what she did to me. As soon as she found out Dex and I were together she's tried to do everything in her power to keep us apart. My arrest for the Sal Price murder was her doing."

"What a bitch! Does Dexter know that Deb did that to you?" Jamie quickly questioned leaning forward in her chair. Her sadness had been replaced with complete outrage.

"Of course he does, but Debra is his sister." Hannah responded with a sigh.

The ladies ceased their conversation when they saw Dexter coming back to the table.

Jamie smiled as she started to get up."I didn't mean to take your seat, Dex."

"Actually, I think I'm going to need to head out. I've got quite a bit of a back log on other cases with the Melendez case at the forefront of Miami Metro." He explained glancing at his wrist watch.

Jamie looked surprised. "Dexter, I figured you were going to take Harrison home. I was looking forward to an evening to myself." 

Before Morgan could answer back, it was Hannah who chimed in with an offer:

"I'll take Harrison home with me. You can drive us to my house and I'll have him for the night."

Dex shrugged his shoulders and then gave a nod as a nonverbal agreement with his girlfriend's suggestion. He had no problem with his son staying at her place overnight, at least then he wouldn't have to hear from his nanny about how many late nights he had been working lately.

Jaime rose from her chair. "Great, guess it's all settled." 

Dexter made sure to say goodbye to Angel before he and Hannah left with little Harrison. He wanted to move quickly. He had to drop off his girlfriend and son, go home to change and grab his gear, and then get over to Gibson's place. The car ride was quiet before Hannah spoke up.

"Going hunting tonight?" She asked with an eyebrow raise as they drove in silence with Harrison asleep in the back.

"Sort of, not a kill, but for evidence."

"What kind of evidence?" McKay questioned inquisitively leaning her head back against the seat rest.

"Evidence to convict Angus Gibson of the murder of officer Melendez. I figure I'd give Deb a peace offering of nailing Gibson then she might give us some space."

She sighed, cross her arms, seemly not convinced. "I suppose it's worth a try..." 

* * *

Debra laid sprawled out across her unmade bed. She had completely covered the windows of her bedroom shutting out all the daylight that had come and gone. Thanks to her Xanax and beer, she had successfully slept the day away after the morning confrontation between her brother and McKay. Sleep was her only escape from her mind as it was constantly dwelling on the fact that her own brother had pushed her to the ground in the defense of a cold blooded killer.

Deb's cell phone chirping beside her on the bed was what jolted her back to reality.

"The fuck?" She croaked, moving her hand to feel for where her cell phone was laying.

When she found it, she brought it to her. Lighting up the display caused her to squint in the darkness. Her eyes were trying to adjust so that she could see who had sent her a text message. It took a few seconds before she was able to make out the text message from Joey through her haze:

'Deb u ok? U missed Laguerta's funeral & the get-together at Papa's after.'

Maria's funeral. There was no way she would have ever been able to attend. It was bad enough she was still haunted by her death, but seeing her in a casket and being around all of her friends and colleagues would do nothing but make it worse.

As soon as she read the short message, she hit the delete button. After tossing her phone carelessly across the room, she rolled over and pulled the covers over her head. It was all she could do to escape her life.

* * *

The Ford Escape came creeping to a stop as Dexter looked on at the Gibson residence. Morgan put on his black gloves without taking his eyes off of the home he was about to silently break into.

_"The house is dark. Gibson's motorcycle is missing from the driveway. It looks like he's at his brotherhood meeting. I'll be in and out before he comes back."_

Brian was sitting in the passenger seat next to his brother. In his hand was a decent sized hunting knife that he was eyeing with a smile on his face.

_Brian: "And if he just happens to return in the middle of your little sneak and peek then we can do things big brother Brian's way."_

_"We're not here for a kill, remember? I'm doing this to get Deb off my ass."_

Once out of his SUV, Dexter moved quickly across the street and used the shadow of night as cover. He was careful to make sure he wasn't being watched by any of the surrounding neighbors, but the street was quiet, everyone seemingly tucked in for the night.

A couple of seconds of lock picking provided Morgan entry into Gibson's abode. With the click of a small flashlight, a small cone of light scanned Dex's immediate surroundings. The place was cluttered with beer bottles and other debris. The walls were adorned with swastikas and other Aryan Brotherhood propaganda.

The living room was where Morgan found a laptop along with what he immediately recognized as the busted police cruiser dashboard camera that had been missing from the crime scene.

_"Did Gibson keep the footage of him killing Melendez as a trophy that he could show off to his buddies?"_

Dexter opened the laptop lid and powered it on. Brian walked over to the laptop to see what they could uncover.

_Brian: "What moron keeps evidence of his murder right here in his living room? This is too easy. I bet you his laptop isn't even password protected."_

_"You'd bet right."_

Dexter smirked as he was able to access Angus' desktop without needing a security pass code. Right there on the desktop, next to the recycling bin, was a video file that was titled 'PIG'.

_"And here it is, right on his desktop. 'Pig', the same word that was written in blood on the police cruiser's windshield."_

Morgan double clicked the file. It opened and began to play the footage from the dashcam. It clearly showed Gibson stabbing Officer Melendez and then beating him with the officer's nightstick. Once the footage finished playing, Dex withdrew a flash drive from his pocket and inserted it into the laptop to make a copy of the file.

_Brian: "What about the nightstick, Dexter? It has to be around here somewhere. He's obviously not smart enough to get rid of it."_

_"It would be a trophy. He would want to display it in a place of prominence."_

Dexter began to quickly scan the living room with his flashlight. The scope of light finally settled on the mantle of the fireplace.

_Brian: "There it is, right next to the deer head."_

Brian chuckled as Dex took the nightstick down from the fireplace mantle. He studied it for a moment.

_"I doubt he took the time to clean this adequately. Miami Metro will surely find DNA and prints matching Melendez."_

Morgan's focus was shifted when he heard the sound of the front door unlocking. With quick agility, Dexter moved to a closet that was nearby. He had not concealed himself a moment too soon as Gibson came through his front door. Dex could hear Angus shuffling around in the dark until the light came on in the living room. Brian appeared next to his brother in the shadows while Gibson's footsteps were heard coming closer. Instinctively, Morgan reached into his cargo pants pocket and grasped his syringe.

_Brian: "Do it, Dexter. Take him out before he tries to take you out. You have proof that he fits your code. Use the element of surprise and take him out."_

Dex slowly backed away from the slight opening of the closet door. He hid in the shadows, staying completely silent as he watched Angus walk right past the closet into another part of the house.

_"I need him alive for Deb to make the arrest. I have the evidence she would need."_

Morgan was cautious. He waited several minutes before emerging from his hiding spot in order to exit Gibson's residence with the evidence in his possession. Dexter was going straight to Deb's with his findings, regardless of the hour.

* * *

Debra's beach house was completely dark; not a single light was on to indicate she was awake. Not wanting to waste time knocking, Dexter used her spare key under the mat to let himself in. With the bagged evidence in hand, he made his way through her beach abode toward her bedroom.

"Deb?" He called out the minute he flicked on her bedroom light.

The disruption caused Debra to moan and then pull her covers up over her head to shield herself from the intrusion of both her brother and the lamp light.

"Hey Deb, I've got something that you will be very interested in." Morgan began to explain as he approached her bed with the evidence.

Dex couldn't help but smile at the prospect of giving his sister something she wanted desperately. He sat down on the side of her bed.

"Fucking fuck off." She finally muttered turning away from him with her face still covered with the bed sheet.

"Trust me, Deb, you're going to want to see what I've brought you." He insisted placing a hand on her back.

"Jesus Christ, what do you want, Dexter? You threw me out of your apartment this morning and now you're up my ass!" Debra yelled finally throwing the covers off and sitting up.

"You know I didn't want what happened between you and Hannah today to happen. I'm here to make it right." explained Dex as he showed her the bagged nightstick.

Her brown eyes widened as they focused on the murder weapon. Her mind playing catch up with what she was seeing in her brother's hands.

"Is that what I think it is? The fucking murder weapon in the Melendez murder?"

"Yeah, it is. And that's not all," he held up the flash drive before continuing, "the dashcam footage of Gibson killing Carlos."

Debra's eyes were wide. Her brother had definitely gotten her attention. She sat up straight, tucking her brown locks of hair behind her ears. Her next move was to accept the evidence from Dexter.

"How did you get this?"

"I searched Gibson's place while he was out. It took no time at all to find it. He's not the smartest killer by any means. With the murder weapon and footage of the crime recovered, you should have no problem making the arrest."

"Fuckin' A." She agreed, giving him the first smile he had seen from her in what felt like forever.

"Well, you've got Gibson..." Dex began with a sigh. He paused for a moment as he tried to figure out the best direction to take when explaining to his sister that she now owed him a favor.

Debra picked up on his hesitation. Her smile faded as she placed the evidence on her bed before studying her brother.

"You know this doesn't change anything, right?"

Dexter narrowed his eyes. He turned his head sideways before letting out a long exhale as he got to his feet. She was already rejecting the idea of a reciprocity between them.

"I figured if I went out of my way to give you what you wanted then you would at least extend me the courtesy of leaving Hannah alone." Dex divulged looking a bit puzzled.

Deb let out a forced laugh. She folded her arms in front of her before shooting her brother a look of contempt before rising to her feet.

"Are you fucking kidding me? How could you ever expect me to accept you being with her? She tried to kill me, Dexter! And yet you were so hell bent in protecting her over me just because you like fucking her! I'm your fucking sister! She's-"

"Deb, I love her!" Dexter blurted out, cutting her off mid-sentence with his proclamation.

His words caused Debra to mutter an obscenity under her breath as she began to get emotional. She was doing her best to stifle her forming tears. It took her a moment to collect her composure enough so that she could croak a response:

"And what, you don't love me?"

Her inquiry caused Dex to close his eyes and take a deep breath. He hated how his sister would always make everything about her and their relationship.

"Not like I love Hannah. It's different. She understands me, accepts me and my kills. She's there for me in ways you can't be." breathed Dexter.

His profession of love for Hannah McKay sent her over the edge as she let out a strangled cry. She allowed herself to plop down on the foot of her bed. She was an emotional wreck, while she brought her hands to her face. Dexter felt so uncomfortable. He had been honest with his sister and the truth was just too much for her to take.

Debra sniffled back her congestion. Her anger began to take over as she finally replied to his words with her finger pointed directly at him:

"I killed Laguerta for you! Because of it I can't even live with myself! And it's all because of you!" She screamed getting up from the bed again as she got in his face.

Dex's mouth parted as he sucked air in. He blinked his eyes a few times. Dexter was taken aback by the fact she was putting all the blame on him.

"I never asked you to do that. I gave you a choice in that shipping container."

Their eyes locked. There was a moment of silence between them. Deb's bottom lip trembled as she looked to be working up the nerve to reply to him. And when she did, it shook Dexter's world:

"Maybe I made the wrong choice..."

Dexter had to get out of there. It felt completely surreal as he walked out of Deb's beach house. His mind replaying over and over again her admission that she thought she should have killed him instead of Maria Laguerta. Brian was waiting by his brother's Ford Escape.

_Brian: "Deb is becoming a liability. That peace offering of yours did nothing. You don't need her anymore, Dexter."_

Slowly Dexter got into his driver's seat and paused before starting the engine.

_"I can't imagine my life without Deb in it. She's the only family I have left. Harry always wanted us to look after each other. He said so before he died. I'd be lost without her, alone."_

Brian sat in the passenger seat next to his brother. He touched his shoulder and sort of shook him in an attempt to snap him out of his nostalgic gaze.

_Brian: "Hey, I told you, the pretend foster family was okay when you didn't have anyone else. But now you have me, your real brother. You have a girlfriend who lets you be free to be who you are. So be free, little brother."_

Morgan sat there a in silence for a moment. He then let his head fall back into his seat rest while letting out a long sigh.

_"I need a kill."_

Brian smiled wide in response to his brother's admission. He nodded profusely before responding:

_Brian: "Yes! A kill to take the edge off. It's been too long since you satisfied your need to watch the blood flow. You owe it to yourself, Dexter. Forget Debra, put your own needs first for once."_

Slowly, Dex lifted his head from the seat rest. His mouth pulled taunt as a smirk formed on his face. He started his car and drove off into the night.

* * *

Angus Gibson sat in his living room heating up a dose of crystal meth in a spoon. It was his usual routine to end his night. Before he could bring his syringe to the spoon, his power cut off.

"What the fuck?" Gibson said aloud with annoyance.

In the darkness, he felt for his lighter that was on the table. Once he had it, he flicked it on providing himself with enough illumination to navigate through his house to his basement steps. Angus flipped his light switch to the 'on' position, so that he would not need his lighter once he fixed the electricity. He descended the stairs. A quick reset of the breaker would fix his electrical problem.

Dexter awaited patiently in the darkness. He watched for the moment to strike with his dose of M99. It was when Gibson reached the breaker box and opened it that Morgan began to silently creep toward him. Just when he flipped the switch and the lights came on, Dexter reached for him to slip the syringe needle into his neck. Much to Morgan's surprise, Angus must have sensed his presence. Gibson whipped around and caught his arm. Angus' strength was apparent as he immediately sent Dexter to the hard basement floor.

"What the fuck you doin' in my house, boy? I'm gonna fuck you up!" hollered Angus as he quickly grabbed a sledgehammer from his workbench that was right next to the electrical breaker.

Before Dex could even make it to his feet, Gibson attempted to bring the sledgehammer down on him. He rolled out of the way each time, as the hammer smacked the concrete floor. Dexter then used his legs to sweep Angus' feet out from under him. The biker fell to the floor giving Morgan enough time to get to his feet. Quickly, Dex scrambled over to where his syringe had fallen in the struggle. Gibson was back to his feet quickly. He immediately charged at Dexter with the sledge hammer over his head. Instinctively, Morgan evaded him at the last possible second. The biker's own momentum sent him crashing into the cinder brick wall. He dropped the hammer on impact, and Dexter quickly moved in to give him his dose of M99 that ended the altercation.

Angus Gibson awoke to the sight of Dexter standing over him with the sledgehammer. He attempted to move only to find out that he couldn't. Only his eyes could dart back and forth as his head was tapped stationary with silver duct tape. Around his body were steel chains holding him in place against his own wooden work station table. He let out a muffled scream through the piece of tape that covered his mouth.

Other than the traditional kill table, all of the kill room plastic was missing. This kill was not planned. It was all spur of the moment. He wasn't worried about concealing it. He just wanted it to happen.

"This would usually be the part of my ritual where I show you pictures of Carlos Melendez, his wife and young children so that you know what you've done." Dex explained pointing to a blank wall of the basement.

"But this kill isn't for them. It isn't about serving justice. If it were, I would have let Miami Metro bring you down." He continued bringing his face close to Gibson as he placed his index on Gibson's forehead.

"No, this is just for me...To pacify my own selfish need..."

Every muscle of Gibson's body was flexed as he was still trying to shout at Morgan through the tape over his mouth. Unlike his usual kills, Morgan had no intention of removing the tape so that his prey could speak. He had no desire to dialogue with him. All he could think about was the actual act, the kill. He wanted it.

Dexter slowly stood back upright. He then spread his feet shoulder width apart and raised the sledgehammer over his head. A sadistic smile formed on his face as he watched Gibson screaming and squirming. Angus knew the end was eminent and it was Dexter who had the control over the moment his life was over. The deciding power over life and death excited Morgan. The act was no longer wrapped up in Harry Morgan's code. Sure Gibson deserved to be on his table, but that wasn't the driving force that put him there. Dexter wanted to take him out, because it would mean that Debra couldn't have him.

With all his might, Dexter brought the sledgehammer down on Angus' head. The sound of his skull breaking upon impact along with the misting of blood across Morgan's face elicited a rush of pleasure. It compelled Morgan to lift the hammer again over his head and bring it down again. More blood painted a thin mist on his green thermal shirt. He repeated his actions a few more times, before letting the bloodied hammer crash to the cement floor, its sound echoing in the basement that was now silent. Dexter's chest was heaving. He felt fantastic, still riding the high of his kill. All that was left to do was stage the crime scene. Biney would be proud.

* * *

Hannah quickly made her way over to her entrance way when she heard repeated knocking from her front porch. She peered through one of the narrow windows in her front door and saw that it was Dexter. She quickly unlocked the door and opened it for him.

"Dexter, hey, I was worried-"

Hannah stopped mid-sentence when she saw the blood stains on Dexter's thermal shirt. The porch light allowed her to see the dried blood specks that were painted across his face. Had something happened?

"Is that blood, what happened? Are you hurt?" She questioned with concern in her voice.

"It's Gibson's blood. The peace offering to Deb is off the table so I did what I do." Morgan explained in a low mutter as he entered the house.

McKay looked a bit puzzled. She had always known Dexter to be a neat killer. She knew first hand that plastic sheets were a part of his killing ritual as well as a smock. It wasn't like him to still be wearing the victim's blood on his clothing. Had there been a struggle? She didn't want to bombard him with questions as he was quick to move further into her house.

Hannah decided to give him a few moments of privacy, which she used to check on Harrison who was asleep on her bed. When she did finally go looking for her lover, she found him in her bathroom. His cargo pants and shirt lying in a heap on the tile floor. Dexter was in the shower scrubbing off all of the blood and grime from his kill. Morgan's eyes were closed as he stood in the steady streams of water.

_"The serenity after a kill. All of my anger and frustration channeled into each and every blow I gave to Gibson's skull. My version of conflict resolution satisfies my dark urges and brings a sense of control to a world of chaos."_

McKay, who had disrobed, slowly entered the shower. She brought her hands to his back and gently caressed him before placing a small kiss between his shoulder blades.

_"Brian was right. I'm not alone. Hannah continues to stand by me despite everything we've faced. Unlike Deb, she loves me unconditionally; no fear of judgment or rejection, pure acceptance. Deb can't ask me to give this up. I won't."_

Morgan turned to face his love. He kissed her once tenderly. McKay brought her hand to his face in order to wipe away a small bit of dry blood that the water had not washed away. He reached out and gently grabbed her hand before it left his face; turning his head, he kissed it softly.

Hannah wrapped her arms around his neck, closing the space between them. Their mouths came together for a sultry kiss as Dexter guided her into the warm shower streams. And then Morgan lifted her off her feet, compelling her to wrap her legs around his torso. Her back pressed firmly against the shower wall while their kissing continued, the shower steam billowing around them.

McKay drew in a sharp breath when he swiftly penetrated her. Dexter seemed overzealous to increase his force and tempo, but Hannah brought him back into her focus by placing both her hands on his face.

"Gentle..." She whispered holding her mouth to his.

Her request caused him to pause. When he resumed, he made love to her tenderly. Dexter loved the intimacy; being one with her. She was his safe haven; his Argentina in the midst of his tumultuous relationship with Debra. Where Deb was willing to forsake him, Hannah was accepting him with arms wide open.


	7. Episode 7: A Moment of Truth

_"Being called to your own crime scene. It's a bit surreal. The victim, obliterated by my own hands and left for the whole world to see. Brian would call it art, I call convenience; a clever narrative that will make this case open and shut."_

Dexter flashed his forensic laminate badge at one of the cops so that he could enter the Gibson residence by ducking under the yellow tape.

Angus Gibson's body was exactly where Dexter had left him; flat on his back, his arms outstretched with a wide outward pooling of blood that radiated from his head. Masuka was doing his best to preserve the details of the scene with multiple photographs from a variety of angles.

"What do we have here? Looks like a pretty severe bludgeoning." Dexter muttered aloud doing his best to sound completely clueless to the significance of this crime scene.

It was Batista who was first to speak from where he stood next to Debra and Quinn.

"It's Angus Gibson. We got an anonymous tip early this morning to a possible disturbance. Deb took the call since she knew it was Gibson's address and she walked into this. Ay dios mio, this guy's skull was completely caved in."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Dex responded with an eyebrow raise. He crouched down beside the body.

Masuka chimed in with excitement. "That's not all, guess what else we found right here in this room!" 

Dexter shrugged his shoulders, not even sure what Vince was speaking about. He was positive that the perverted lab geek couldn't wait to tell him.

"A police issued nightstick, like the one that was missing from Melendez' duty belt. It's bagged and tagged, I'm sure we'll get a DNA match for Melendez off it!"

Vince held up his hand to signal that he wanted Morgan to slap it, which he did, reluctantly, before Masuka continued on:

"And if that wasn't the proverbial dick caught in Gibson's ass that tied him to the murder, he left the stolen dashcam footage right on his laptop! Do you believe it? Fucking amateur."

_"Deb must have planted the nightstick back at the scene. She wanted to make sure that the world knew of Gibson's guilt."_

"Wow, that really is unbelievable." Dexter agreed as he turned his attention to Deb.

His sister looked to be preoccupied. The usually outspoken Debra Morgan had not said a single word since her brother had arrived on the scene. Dex didn't know if it was because she was still mad at him after last night or if she was already on to him as a possible suspect for Gibson's murder.

"What do you think, Deb?" He asked, wanting to rattle her cage and get her to say something about the scene.

Upon being spoken to directly, Lieutenant Morgan snapped back to reality. She hesitated a moment before responding to him. She was caught off guard. Since when did Dexter ever ask for her opinion about a crime scene? He was always the one she would go to when she needed help finding a lead. Of course back then she didn't know that she was picking the brain of a serial killer. He knew how to catch killers because he was one.

"We've obviously got the fucker who killed Carlos. But now we're tasked with finding out who killed him." She finally said aloud.

Dexter's mouth pulled taunt into a smirk that lasted only a few seconds before disappearing. It was done so subtly that none of his colleagues even noticed, well, no one except Deb. Her eyebrows furrowed as she then folded her arms in front of her.

"Why don't you tell us what you think happened, Dex. By all means, dazzle us with your fucking brilliance."

"Well, it could have been a number of things. Gibson made no attempt at hiding the fact that he came in to our department for questioning yesterday. It's possible that one of his Aryan brothers caught wind of his visit and thought he could potentially roll over on them."

Deb's theory warranted a comment from Quinn. "Shit, I heard of snitches getting stitches, but this? The guy doesn't even have a face anymore let alone much of a head left." He looked on in disgust, "I mean, don't get me wrong, the fucking skin head deserved it."

Batista made a suggestion aloud to Dexter while he watched Dex examining the body as it connected to the rest of the crime scene. "What about a rival gang? This could be some form of retaliation." 

"It's definitely brazen enough. A violent death definitely sends a message." Dexter added, before he began to explain the cast off patterns of the blood:

"The assailant stood over the victim's head. I'd estimate about ten to fifteen blows to his cranium."

Masuka provided more information. "The sledgehammer that was found right next to Gibson is definitely the murder weapon, though, it was completely wiped clean of all prints."

Dexter stood upright, his eyes following the blood spatter patterns as he walked around the scene. He stopped at one of the Neo-Nazi propaganda posters that was in the hallway leading off of the living room. He pointed his latex gloved finger toward a spot on the wall.

Quinn gave words to what he saw: "Holy shit, that's a gang logo in blood on his wall!" 

Angel made his way over to the hallway and peered at the writing in blood. He then offered his assessment on the meaning:

"The 'L.S.' stands for the Latin Syndicate. Their feud with the Aryan Brotherhood has a long history. This was clearly gang retaliation."

Dexter walked back into the living room and pointed to the coffee table that was a few feet away from the body. He was going to bring up the fact that the drugs were missing from what was obviously where Angus would shoot up.

"Looks like Gibson had his own little stash of crystal meth. The rival gang made off with a decent score."

Debra was just standing there. She was watching her brother walk the Miami Metro Homicide team through the evidence that until he pointed out, they had not even noticed. It was surprising to her how he could easily walk up to each and every piece of new evidence, almost like he knew it was all going to be there.

Deb's eyes remained fixed on her brother while she observed him packing up his kit. When Dex turned to leave, he saw that his sister was glaring at him. His response was subtle, a quick raise of his eyebrows and a slight smile that was not reciprocated.

It was when Dexter exited Gibson's residence that he was caught off guard. Morgan slowed his pace crossing the street as he envisioned Harry standing with his arms folded next to his Ford Escape. Dex had not seen his father since he had gone against his wishes and thrown the pen cap into the ocean.

_Harry: "What are you doing, Dexter? I thought you getting rid of evidence to set Hannah free was reprehensible, but this is a new low. That kill was sloppy and unplanned. You didn't even set up a proper kill room."_

Dex let out a long sigh as he opened the back of his SUV to put away his forensic kit.

_"Spare me the lecture. This isn't the first time I've staged a crime scene, you're overreacting as usual. I cleaned up the basement, not a shred of evidence is left to link me to the crime."_

Dexter attempted to get into the driver door of his SUV, but Harry blocked him and responded:

_Harry: "No, this is different. You've never been so reckless; flaunting your kill like you are above the law, you're behaving like Brian."_

Morgan scoffed before responding:

_"That's ridiculous, Gibson deserved to die, he met the code. I left the body at the scene to make it look like a gang kill."_

_Harry: "Is that really why you did it, Dexter? Why did it have to be Gibson? Why not let Deb use the evidence you gave her to bring him to justice? Admit it, you did it out of spite because Debra doesn't want to lay off Hannah."_

His foster father's words caused an immediate change in Dex's demeanor. He lashed out in a voice full of venom and malcontent as he got in Harry's face:

_"I wanted the kill! Deb threw my peace offering right back in my face so I did what I wanted to do! I'm in control, not Deb, not Miami Metro, me! I'm not your puppet, a slave to the code as you wrote it! I've evolved! I'm more than that now!"_

Harry seemed to be unwavering, not backing down from where he stood. On his face was a look of sadness and disappointment. He shook his head before replying:

_Harry: "You're going down a dangerous path."_

Dexter was unmoved by his father's warning, he simply pushed passed him and opened his driver side door. Before getting in, he muttered a reply that capped off their conversation:

_"And I don't need you to follow me."_

Without hesitation, Morgan started his SUV and sped off, leaving his father standing there in the street. Before making his first turn onto another road, he glanced up into his rear view mirror to see if Harry was still visible. He was gone.

* * *

Debra was leaving the crime scene in a bit of a hurry. She needed to pull Dex aside and find out what was really going on. As she made her way to her automobile, she had Joey following after her.

"Deb, what's the rush? Can we talk for a second?"

Lieutenant Morgan let out an exasperated sigh. She turned around to face him. Quinn attempted to look into her eyes but was only met with his own reflection in her aviator sunglasses.

"What do you want, Joey?"

"I was worried about you yesterday. You never answered my text. What's going on, Deb?"

"I really didn't fucking feel like being at Laguerta's funeral. Not that it's any of your fucking business."

"So this, between us," Quinn motioned with his hands, "it was just a one-time thing?"

Debra's lips parted and she shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what her and Joey were. A part of her enjoyed being with him. He was, in many ways, just like her, or how she used to be. Quinn was always there to provide her with comfort when she needed it most. On the other hand, the last thing she needed was to get into a relationship. Her new habit of ending every day with beer and Xanax would be pretty difficult to justify to a significant other since she couldn't tell him the cause of it all.

"Fuck me, I don't know! Do you always have to put a label on everything?"

Joey holds up his hands in response. It was unbelievable how hard it was for him to get any kind of straight answer out of her. He just wanted to know if there was any possibility of a future for them since he had cheated on Jamie to be with her.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to come across as a clingy bitch, I just don't get it. We have some great fucking sex two nights ago and then you ice me out: blow me off and don't answer my text messages. So, what are we doin' here?" Quinn asked honestly with a hint of his Bronx accent coming out.

There is a pregnant pause between them before, out of nowhere, Debra moves in and plants a sultry kiss on him. It is well received by Joey who nestles his hands in her long brown locks of hair while they embrace passionately. And just as abruptly as the kiss happened, it ended with Deb pulling away.

"I'll call you later." She muttered before getting in her unmarked car, leaving Quinn standing there dumbfounded.

* * *

When Lieutenant Morgan finally made it back to the police station, she was power walking across the Homicide division office. She could see her brother through the window of his forensics lab and all she could think about was confronting him.

One of her officers in blue spoke to her when she walked passed his desk."Hey Lt., you've got someone in your office waiting to talk to you." 

"Who?" She asked back quickly, halting her stride as she whipped around.

"I don't know who he is. Some guy who thinks he's a young Don Johnson or something. When you see him, ask him how Tubbs is doing."

The cop's lame joke had no effect whatsoever on Debra. She simply redirected herself, picking up her pace again as she made her way over to her office.

The minute that Deb entered, Nick Porter sprung to his feet to greet her.

"Lieutenant Morgan, I presume?" He asked with a smile as he extended his hand.

"Yeah, that's me. And you are?"

"Nicholas Porter, but please, call me Nick. I own my own private detective firm. Sergeant Batista hired me to investigate the death of his ex-wife. "

After he introduced himself, Debra used her right hand to shake his. Despite her mood, she had to admit, the guy was easy on the eyes.

"Hi Nick, I'm Deb." She said back giving him a small smile that was reflexive.

"Hey, what happened to your left hand? Did you break something?" He inquired, noticing her cast.

Debra looked down at what remained from her car accident right before Christmas. She was counting down the days until she could get that cast off.

"Yeah, broken wrist."

"Ouch, how did you do that? In the line of duty?"

"No, I wish. So, can I help you with something? I'm kind of busy and I'd like to get back to work." She replied, cutting off the small talk.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to take up too much of your time. I know you worked with Laguerta for a number of years and I was hoping to get your version of the events that happened the night she was killed."

Deb bit her lip before tucking her hair behind her ears. The last thing she wanted to think about was New Years Eve, could this guy have come at a worse time?

"I really don't have anything for you that would be different than what the FBI has on file. Angel knows my version of the events, you can ask him. Miami Metro doesn't even have the case files on her murder, the FBI did their own investigation, it's them you should be talking to."

Porter gave a nod and reached into his suit pocket. He withdrew a business card and a gold plated pen.

"I understand. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I'm giving you my card just in case you think of anything that you feel might be worth mentioning. You know, the smallest detail, I don't care how insignificant you might think it is." He told her while he began to jot numbers down on the card.

"Yeah, sure."

"Here you go, I wrote my cell number on the back. Call me anytime." Nick instructed as he held the card out for her while giving a quick wink.

Their eyes locked as Debra took the card from him and then put it in the back pocket of her jeans. There were a few awkward moments of silence as they stood there smiling at each other. It was Morgan who finally spoke up.

"Well, I need to get back to work. I'll definitely call you if I think of anything that can help you out."

"Thanks, Deb, I appreciate it. Have a good rest of your day. Go catch some bad guys." He told her as he began to walk out of her office.

Debra couldn't help but chuckle as a goofy smile was plastered on her face. Her eyes followed him through her office window after he left. She stood there alone in her office watching him as he crossed the Homicide division and called the elevator. It wasn't until he disappeared behind the elevator's metal doors that she snapped out of her momentary daze.

Her mind shifted gears. It had to refocus on what had been her task at hand before Nicholas Porter introduced himself to her. Dexter. That's who she needed to focus on. Just the thought of having to confront him caused her to jones for her pills. Deb quickly rummaged through her handbag and pulled out her prescription bottle. She gave it a shake and realized that she only had a single Xanax pill left.

"Fuck." She muttered under her breath as she dispensed the last pill into the palm of her hand.

There was no question about it, she would need to get a refill. Her cast was scheduled to be removed by her doctor next week, but she didn't think that she could wait that long. She would have to figure it out. Deb popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed it with ease. Now it was time to face her brother.

Upon entering the forensics lab, Debra demanded that Dex follow her so that they could talk privately. She led him outside of their police department into an alley way where the two department buildings created a secluded spot.

"What the fuck was that at the crime scene?" Deb asked, cutting straight to the reason she needed to speak to him.

Dex leaned causally against the side of the building as if they were going to have a normal chat.

"Pretty open and shut case. Rival gang exacting its revenge. Kind of ironic that it happened after you obtained evidence to arrest Gibson, it's it?" Dexter muttered back while giving her an evil smirk.

Debra scowled harshly. She could not believe how cavalier he was being. Her brother was doing everything but coming out and saying that he had played a part in what they had witnessed at the crime scene.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she muttered, looking right into her brother's eyes before continuing, "Because I wouldn't give into you and lay off Hannah you decided to kill Gibson so that I couldn't arrest him! Do you seriously know how fucked up that is?"

"I gave you Gibson gift wrapped and all I asked in return was for you to drop your obsession with putting Hannah behind bars-"

"She belongs in fucking prison!" shouted Debra before Dex could even finish his sentence.

"Well that's not going to happen. The state of Florida dropped all charges against her over Sal Price. She has immunity for her time with Wayne. It's over, Deb. Let it go." He responded in a low voice as he tried to provide the facts to his sister.

Debra breathed in deep and staggered her breath upon exhale. She really wanted to knock her brother the fuck out. He refused to recognize the truth about his girlfriend. How great of a fuck was Hannah McKay that she turned Dexter into a fucking moron with dick for brains?

"No fucking way. It's not over until I say it's over."

With that said, she turned her back on her brother and began to walk down the narrow alley way to the Miami Metro parking lot. The conversation was over. Deb was like a pit bull. She was tenacious and no matter what Dex did, she didn't want to let her obsession with Hannah go.

* * *

Hannah stood in her nursery tending to her plants. Arlene Shram was sitting in one of the lawn chairs just outside of McKay's greenhouse.

Arlene gave a comment before taking a drag off of her cigarette as she watched Hannah repotting her plants."So I guess that Dexter Morgan really came through for you." 

"Yeah, his master plan got me free and clear of both charges."

"It's the least he could do after turning you in. So, you two are back together with a baby on the way, huh? How's that working out?" Shram questioned, after exhaling her smoke.

"Good, I guess. Dexter took me to my first check-up yesterday. The baby seems to be developing nicely. I think he's excited to be a daddy again." McKay answered back with a wide smile.

"Well at least he seems to want a baby, unlike Jake. What an asshole he was. I still have no idea what you saw in him." Arlene mentioned tapping her cigarette to remove the excess ash.

"One of the numerous mistakes in my life. And no, Dex is nothing like Jake. Are you doing okay? I'm glad we were finally able to meet up. The last time we spoke was when I was still held up in a shitty motel." Hannah inquired, changing the subject.

"I'm doing a hell of a lot better knowing that I'm not going to be slapped with charges for aiding and abetting a fugitive."

"See, it worked out like I promised you it would. We stick together, right?"

Arlene nodded before she instinctively turned around to look in the direction that she heard footsteps approaching. When she saw that it was that skanky cop, Debra Morgan, she immediately sat upright and looked over at Hannah.

Debra spoke with fake enthusiasm. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt your little white trash get-together?" 

Shram rolled her eyes. "Well, babe, I think I'm gonna go."

Arlene stood up and began to walk over to where Hannah was standing, now staring at her arch nemesis.

"Congrats again, keep in touch." She told McKay giving her a quick hug.

"Thanks, I'll text you."

As Shram went passed Debra, she flicked her cigarette bud at Deb's feet and rolled her eyes. Morgan scoffed and then moved forward to approach Hannah.

McKay broke the silence the second Lieutenant Morgan entered her greenhouse."I take it there's a reason you're here?" 

"Yeah, I'm here to tell you to stay the fuck away from my brother and my nephew or bad shit is going to find you." Threatened Deb as she leaned onto the wooden table in the center of the greenhouse.

Hannah couldn't help but chuckle at her empty threats. Had she really drove all the way over here just to say that to her? And did she forget the fact that she almost ended her life on Christmas Eve?

"I'm sorry that you missed Laguerta's funeral. It was a really nice service, but I understand why you wouldn't want to attend. That would be kind of awkward, wouldn't it?" McKay asked with a smirk.

Debra's lip quivered slightly. She was caught off guard by Hannah randomly bringing up Maria and the funeral while also hinting at the fact that she knew something about the circumstances surrounding her death.

"You're talking out of your ass." Morgan sneered, trying to shake off her mind games.

McKay shrugged her shoulders and then picked up a spray bottle before replying.

"You'd be surprised at what Dexter has told me. We don't have any secrets between us."

Deb instinctively began to shake, feeling the anger building inside of her. Her mind was going crazy with thoughts of her brother telling Hannah McKay all the deepest darkest secrets of their family's past. Would he really be dumb enough to do that?

"Dexter will always put me first! Harrison and I are his family! He turned you in after you tried to kill me, don't you fucking forget that!" Debra fired back after a brief pause.

Hannah seemed unfazed by her outburst as she began to calmly spray down her orchids with her sprayer.

"He didn't seem to put you first when you tried to attack me yesterday. You landed pretty hard when he threw you to the floor, did it hurt?" McKay fired back without blinking an eye. She shot Debra an icy stare as if to say that it was her turn to make a move in their game of verbal chess.

"Not as bad as it's going to hurt you when I bash your pretty fucking face in with my cast!" Morgan fired back holding up her casted left hand.

McKay retreated slightly, putting some distance between them as she sat the spray bottle on the table and took off her gardening gloves. She let out a sigh and brought her hand to her abdomen.

"Morning sickness can be unrelenting in the first trimester." McKay commented nonchalantly as she caressed her flat stomach. She then looked up at Debra to gage her reaction.

All the color in Deb's face completely drained in a matter of seconds. She felt like she had just been punched hard in the gut. There was no way this was real. It had to be a fabrication that Hannah had pulled out of her ass just to mess with her mind.

"That's fucking bullshit, you're not..."

Morgan couldn't even bring herself to say the word.

"Pregnant." Hannah finished the sentence for her with a big grin on her face. "I'm about six weeks along. Dex didn't tell you? I guess you aren't as close as you thought you were."

Debra suddenly felt like the humidity in the greenhouse had risen exponentially. She wanted to run out of there, but she couldn't feel her legs. The glass walls of the greenhouse were closing in on her as she tried hard to keep it together in front of the woman she hated so much.

Hannah could see how badly Deb was taking the news and she was reveling in the fact that she had been the one to spill the beans about her pregnancy. It was no big surprise that Dexter had been putting it off for as long as he could. Hannah began to slowly walk toward Deb, the sinister smile still evident on her face.

"My how the tables have turned." McKay pointed out, swinging her head slightly to allow a blonde lock of hair to be swept away from her face.

"Do you really think that Dexter is going to choose his adoptive sister over the woman who's carrying his unborn child, his own flesh and blood?"

Her antagonizing words were like salt in an open wound. Deb managed to stumble out of the green house, only to fall to the ground as she began to get sick.

McKay sashayed over to her, silently observing Debra coughing and gagging. When it seemed to subside enough for her to catch her breath, Hannah was right there to speak to her:

"Are you okay, Deb? Can I get you something? A cold glass of water to wash some Xanax down?" chuckled McKay.

"You fucking bitch..." croaked Debra who was on the verge of tears.

"You can show yourself off my property." Hannah muttered while walking away.

* * *

Angel was sitting at his Sergeant desk when his cell phone began to vibrate. Without even looking to see who it was, he quickly answered the call.

"Sergeant Batista."

"Hey Sergeant, it's Nick Porter. I just wanted to touch base with you. I contacted the FBI and faxed them my credentials. They are sending me Maria's case files, basically everything she had collected on the Bay Harbor Butcher case before she was murdered."

"Esta bien, that's good. You should also try and speak with Tom Matthews. He worked closely with Maria right before she died. Maybe he can account for some of the details that led up to her being killed by Estrada."

"Is this Tom Matthews still employed at Miami Metro?"

"He's semi-retired. In fact, I think he's on vacation for the next couple of weeks. When he returns, he's going to be the acting Captain until we can figure out a successor for Maria."

"Well, I will definitely put him on my list of people to question. I'll get back to you if I turn up any leads when I sift through the Bay Harbor Butcher case file."

"Great, thank you." Angel responded before ending the call.

Even though Porter had only just started with his investigation into Laguerta's death, Batista was already feeling more at peace about it. Maria's funeral had been a beautiful remembrance of her, and now he was doing his best to glean answers despite the fact that the FBI had closed the case. She would know that she was not forgotten, at least not by him.

* * *

Dexter arrived home from work to an empty apartment. Jamie had left a note explaining that she and Harrison were at swimming lessons and were going to go get something to eat afterward. That worked out perfectly for him. After the day he had, he could use a little bit of solitude.

_Brian: "It's a perfect evening to unwind and find your next kill. There's no time like the present."_

His brother was seated at Dexter's desk. Moser opened the Apple laptop and clicked to open the login screen for the Miami Metro criminal database.

Morgan placed his work satchel on the floor next to the desk and took his brother's spot at the computer. A few strokes of the keyboard and he was logged into the criminal database.

Rapid knocking at his apartment door cut through the silence of the room. Dex arose quickly to see who was there. He peered out from behind the thin veiled curtain and saw that it was his sister. Brian joined his little brother to take in the view.

_Brian: "Her again? She's like a case of herpes, you just can't seem to get rid of her."_

The rapping was unrelenting until Dexter opened the door. There was his sister standing in his doorway. Her eyes were red and puffy. It was obvious that she was upset and had been crying for some time.

"Hannah's fucking pregnant?"

Dex let out a long sigh. He brought his hand up to his forehead as his eyes widened. He had not expected her to find out about the pregnancy, at least not until he figured out a way to tell her about it.

"I was going to tell you-"

"Really? When were you going to tell me? After she shit the kid out?" hollered Debra as she cut him off midsentence.

Dexter just stood there. He didn't even know what to say in response to her rant. Maybe if he just said nothing then it would end quicker.

"How stupid can you be? You fuck her and you don't even think about wearing a condom? My God, Dex, if there's someone who should not be allowed to procreate, it's Hannah fucking McKay!"

"It's done, Deb. What do you want me to do about it?" He finally muttered back, getting quite annoyed by her rant about Hannah.

Debra shook her head in disgust. She was incensed by the fact that he had been so reckless and had allowed McKay to get pregnant by him. That had to be Hannah's game. She would definitely try and use a child as leverage. Other women who were less psycho had done it, why not her.

"You should tell her to get an abortion! Trust me, Dexter, you do not want her to have that power over you! This is going to ruin your-"

"Hannah's not having an abortion!" Dex snapped back, giving his sister a look of anger.

He was beyond pissed off at Debra for her even suggesting that Hannah should terminate her pregnancy. It was the same answer that Jake Kirkwood had decided on when McKay had told him about their pregnancy. Morgan had already told his lover numerous times that he was not like her dead husband, and now Deb wanted him to do the same.

His outburst caused Debra to pause for a moment. She brought her hands to the side of her head and pulled her hair back from her face before then continuing in a calmer tone of voice:

"Dex, this isn't like when Rita was pregnant with Harrison. This isn't June fucking Cleaver we are talking about here. She is a cold blooded killer."

"I'm a killer too, so what? What I do has no impact on me being a good father to Harrison. Hannah wants children. She wants a normal life and I want to give that to her."

"Two serial killers having their own demon spawn..." She scoffed before rolling her eyes.

"This is happening, Deb, with or without your approval. That's my unborn baby and I love it and Hannah. This is my life." He retorted with the utmost sincerity.

Dexter putting his foot down evoked tears from his sister. It was frustrating as hell. How could he not see the humongous mistake he was making? How could he not have the altitude to see what a train wreck this was going to be? She didn't know if she could stand by idle and watch it happen.

"I don't think I can accept that....I won't..." She muttered though her tears.

Dex let out a long frustrated sigh. He looked away from his sister's gaze, his eyes falling upon the picture of them on his desk. The photograph had been taken so long ago, back when Debra was still working vice and he was filling up his slide collection that he kept behind his air conditioning unit. Times were so much simpler then. Deb used to look up to him and would constantly want to get his advice as they dined on steaks and beer. It was before she found out who he really was. Now that Debra saw him, his full self, she was nothing but judgmental.

"Then maybe it's best if you weren't a part of my life anymore.." He muttered in a low voice before his eyes shifted back over to her.

Debra's eyes widened with shock. She couldn't believe that he was so willing to cut her out of his life just because she was looking out for his best interests regarding Hannah. How could he not see that? Why wasn't he thinking passed his dick? After everything she did for him. Hell, she killed for him. Deb compromised everything she had once held true about herself for Dexter. And now, he was willing to remove her from his life.

"Are you seriously fucking saying this to me right now?" Debra sobbed as she brought her hand to her chest.

Dex said nothing in return. He had no more words for her. There were a few more awkward moments between them as his sister just stood there crying. When she finally realized that he was not going to respond back to her, she stormed out of his apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Deb power walked through Dexter's apartment complex to her parked car. Once she got in, she began to lose her composure yet again. She cried into her hands, before letting her fingers stretch her face. God, she would give anything for a Xanax after the day she had. It was bad enough that she had a confrontation with McKay, but now this with her brother.

Lieutenant Morgan inhaled through her congestion. She let her head fall back onto the seat's head rest. She sat there for a moment; replaying the events of her day over again in her mind. Slowly, she brought her hand to her jean pocket and removed Nick Porter's business card. Her brown eyes fixated on his cell number.

* * *

_"The past is in the past; the future is yet to be written."_

Dexter entered the closet in his bedroom. Tucked away in the corner was a cardboard moving box. In it was the last of Rita's things. After getting rid of the house in the suburbs, he had gotten done away with all of Rita's belongings except for what remained in his closet. He pulled the box out into the light of the room and opened its flaps. The first thing he pulled out was a framed family photo. There he was with Rita and baby Harrison, and with them in the picture were Astor and Cody.

_"Rita and the kids; they had entered my life as a cover for my darkness but eventually became more. The wife and kids in the suburbs was my elaborate charade that came crashing down courtesy of Arthur Mitchell."_

Morgan set the framed photo aside before reaching further into the box. He removed a folded piece of cloth that once unraveled, revealed the engagement and wedding ring that he had given to his wife. Dexter remembered his decision to have the rings removed from Rita's finger after the viewing. At the time, he thought Astor would have wanted to keep them, but somehow they had ended up in the box. As he held the diamond engagement ring in his hand, he thought back to his decision to propose.

_"I had recited someone else's words to convince Rita Bennett that I was capable of being a husband. My proposal had been no more than a regurgitation of a speech I had memorized. One given by a delusional woman after she killed a man that she had been obsessively in love with. I had only married Rita for appearances, because it was what everyone expected me to do after she found out she was pregnant."_

Dex closed his hand, holding the rings tightly in his grasp while his thoughts drifted to his girlfriend:

_"But Hannah is different. The thought of a future with her, a family, it doesn't feel at all like a cover. It's real. The life that I want to share with her does not contradict with who I am, but instead it adds. Her unwavering acceptance makes me feel like I am capable of so much more instead of how I only wished that I could be with Rita."_

* * *

Dexter arrived at Hannah's residence. After first checking her backyard and the greenhouse, he entered through her open double doors at the back patio. Morgan found her in the kitchen. McKay looked up and smiled at him while she cut up herbs on her cutting board.

"Hey you, how was your day?" Hannah inquired.

"Not so great. Somehow Deb found out you're pregnant. She went on a complete verbal rampage." Dex muttered, keeping his hands in his pockets as he leaned in the frame of the hallway.

"She showed up at my greenhouse earlier today. You should have heard her threatening me, saying that you would always put her first. It just came out, I couldn't help it." McKay admitted placing a hand on her hip.

"Her finding out was bound to happen sooner or later. Deb is completely against us having a baby. She thinks it will be a huge mistake if we bring a child into the world..."

Hannah looked concerned. Her hands instinctively found her abdomen and held it. She bit her bottom lip and studied her love's face. She couldn't help but wonder if Dexter was buying any of the bullshit that Debra had told him.

"What did you tell her? Do you agree with her?" McKay questioned, her voice sounding a bit shaky due to her nerves. It would not be the first time that Dexter had hurt their relationship for the sake of his foster sister. She was hoping that he wasn't about to ask her to give up her baby like Jake had done.

"I told her that we were having our baby and nothing she could do or say would change that. I made it clear to her that I didn't want her in my life if she couldn't accept this." He replied, while he slowly made his way over to his girlfriend and placed his hand over hers on her abdomen.

All of McKay's fears fell away as she let out a content sigh. She then brought her hands to his face and pulled him into a soft kiss.

"I want to ask you something." Dexter said in a whisper a moment after their kiss broke. He brought his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

"Okay." breathed Hannah, waiting for him to continue.

Morgan didn't speak, instead he brought his right hand to his pocket. Hannah pulled away from him slightly so that she could see what he was doing. Her blue eyes widened when she saw a diamond ring in his hand.

"Dexter, is that what I think it is?" She questioned, with a hint of excitement in her voice. The possibility of a proposal made her heart skip a beat.

He chuckled and flashed a smile. There was a moment of silence between them while he tried to figure out how he was going to say this. There was no rehearsed speech for him to use. This was authentic. McKay was patient and allowed him time to explain himself.

"You know that you're the only person in the world that I don't have to hide anything from..." He began, saying the same words that day that he came to see her in jail.

Tears of joy began to form in McKay's eyes making them sparkle as she nodded in agreement. Her heart was beating so fast. She couldn't wait to hear him say the words, especially because she knew he would do so in his own way.

"For the first time in my life, I feel like I am capable of having it all without having to sacrifice who I really am. I know that you want that too."

"You're right, we want the same thing." She agreed, wiping a tear away when it fell down her face.

"I want you to be my wife, not just the mother of my children. I want to grow old with you...Will you marry me?" Dexter asked in a whisper as he held the ring out to her.

"Yes.." McKay breathed.

She then allowed him to slip the engagement ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, just like them. Once the diamond ring was in place on her hand, they rushed into a sultry kiss. When the kiss ended, Morgan pulled his fiancée into his arms for a loving embrace. They were going to have the life that they wanted; and no one, not even Deb, would stand in their way.


	8. Episode 8: Til Death Do Us Part

Dexter Morgan was out of his element. He was riding shotgun in Quinn's Cadillac with both Batista and Masuka sitting behind him.

_"Four guys driving off into the night, bound for a promised destination. A bachelor party is suppose to be the prospective groom's last night of freedom. Unfortunately, hanging out with my Miami Metro cop buddies isn't what a call freedom."_

Joey commented from the driver seat. "Tonight's the night, Dex. We are enroute to the Blue Martini club, it's where you said you wanted to go to let loose before your big day tomorrow." 

Vince laughed as he raised his eyebrows up and down to show his excitement. "That club is hot. The drinks flow like water and the tits and ass come at you in waves. Best of all, there's no hands off policy. You can put your hands anywhere you want. And I do mean anywhere, huhuhuhuh." 

_"Quinn is right, tonight is the night. While the guys enjoy the club scene, I will be stalking my prey. Yes, I will be getting lucky, but it will be when I put that special someone on my kill table."_

When the foursome arrived, they wasted no time making their way over to the bar to order drinks. Morgan sat on one of the stools and surveyed the nightlife around him. His eyes were tracking those in attendance. He focused intently when he saw his target: a white male in his late mid thirties who seemed preoccupied with trying to pick up a much younger girl.

_"Scott Tanner- attending his favorite after work night spot, right on schedule. A hotshot businessman who likes to flash his cash in order to do more than just impress women. Tonight marks the one year anniversary of his pregnant girlfriend's death, yet he's out partying like it's any other Friday night."_

Batista made an announcement to the bartender and surrounding club goers as he gave his friend a swift pat on the back."This guy right here is getting married tomorrow! All of his drinks are on me!" 

"Thanks, Angel! I appreciate it!" Morgan hollered back in order to be heard over the loud music.

"You're welcome. It's the least I can do. I can't tell you how honored I am that you asked me to be your best man tomorrow." Batista explained leaning in closer to Dex so that he wouldn't have to shout.

Masuka barely had a drink in his hand before he strayed away from the group in order to hit on some of the ladies on the dance floor. When it was Joey and Angel who remained with him at the bar, Dexter responded to Batista's comment about being best man:

"Well, it was down to you two as Vince is...well, _Vince_. Hannah made Jamie her maid of honor so I figured that Quinn would want to opt out of being a part of the wedding party."

Mention of Jamie made Angel scowl over at Quinn who was purposely avoiding eye contact with him. Joey's break up with Jamie had never really been discussed between them, but Angel made it pretty clear where he stood on the issue.

In an attempt to escape from the awkward moment, Joey left his seat at the bar with the intention of checking on his and Masuka's surprise for Dexter. It was before Quinn was able to ask about when the stripper was going to give his friend a lap dance that a big busted redhead approached him.

"Hey, want a dance?" She offered with a smile, gently caressing his arm.

"No, thanks, um, I sort of with someone, like in a relationship. She's kind of my girlfriend even though we haven't officially said we were seeing each other exclusively." Joey replied back, fumbling with his words as he moved away from the woman's advances.

The dancer looked a bit confused by his rambling and decided to move on without question. Quinn let out a sigh and shook his head. He sounded pathetic trying to explain to others that he was loyal to a Debra who refused to put a label on their series of weekly sexual encounters.

It turned out that Masuka had already tipped off one of the exotic dancers that the bachelor had arrived. Joey joined up with them as they made their way over to where Dex was still sitting with his beer at the bar. 

Vince spoke with glee as he had a dancer do a quick twirl around in place."It's time for your lap dance, dude! This is Cherry and she's going to give you the best private dance you've ever fucking had!" 

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm good sitting here." Dexter replied giving a weak smile before taking a drink of his beer.

Quinn shook his head, he raising his voice over the loud base of the music. "Fuck no, man! You need a dance! You're getting married tomorrow, live a little!" 

Morgan let out a frustrated sigh, his eyes strayed to the other side of the club where he noticed that his target was being led to the lounge by a stripper. He needed to keep him in his sights. Reluctantly, Dexter rose to his feet and accepted the stripper's invitation for a lap dance. She instructed that he follow her. Once they were in the VIP lounge, he was told to have a seat. The dancer wasted no time getting down to it, straddling Dexter as she began to dance and gyrate over him.

Dex's complete attention was on Scott who was sitting only a few feet away at the other side of the lounge. As the minutes ticked by, his mind was going over the plan that he had devised. Dexter needed to get Mr. Tanner back to the kill room that he already set up in an abandoned office building.

The exotic dancer began to realize that her client's mind was elsewhere as he did not even blink when she tried putting her busty chest close to his face. She voiced her disapproval upon bringing the dance to a premature end:

"What's wrong, baby? You don't like women? Are guys more your thing?"

Her words caused Dexter to slowly turn his head until he was finally looking at her. His brown eyes looked like they were staring right through her.

"Get off.." He growled when he noticed that Scott was leaving the lounge from the corner of his eye.

"Asshole..." muttered Cherry after she was pushed aside so that Morgan could get to his feet and follow after his target.

Everything was working out as planned. Tanner was leaving the club right on schedule and Dexter was able to expertly navigate his way through the crowded club without being spotted by his gentlemen company. Dex continued on into the parking lot, staying far enough behind Scott so that he would not notice that he was being tailed. He donned his leather gloves while keeping a safe distance from his target. The lot was packed with cars, yet there didn't seem to be anyone out there with them, either leaving or arriving. Morgan had done his homework, no security cameras were monitoring the lot, barring someone passing by, he was free to strike.

It was when Tanner arrived at his silver Porsche that Dexter approached him. The moment Scott reached for his door handle was when Dex plunged the needle of his neck. The sedative worked instantly, and Dex treated his unconscious prey like he was a drunk friend who he was helping into the passenger seat of the sports car.

_"Off we go into the night, the kill room awaits. A text message sent out to the guys to tell them that I treated myself to a cab ride home after an awkward lap dance will be my excuse for disappearing at my own bachelor party. There is much more fun to be had with my new playmate."_

* * *

The snap of the smelling salts ampule under Scott Tanner's nose caused him to jolt back to consciousness. He was wide eyed, trying his best to look around at his surroundings as he laid bound to a table, clear plastic wrapped around his body.

"Where am I? What's going on? Help! Somebody help me!"

"Nobody's here to help you, Scott. It's just you and me in the kill room I prepared just for you. I thought an empty office building would be an appropriate location for you to meet your end." Dexter calmly explained, his gloved fingers gently gliding over his shiny kill tools.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Tanner questioned nervously as he tried his best to try and break free from the plastic.

Morgan was wearing his usual kill clothing, complete with his black smock. He turned back around and approached the table, a large knife in his right hand.

"Why did you kill Emily?" Dexter asked in a low voice.

"What? What are you talking about? I didn't kill anybody."

His response caused Dex to lunge forward and bring his knife blade to Scott's neck.

"You're lying to me! Tell me about Emily!"

"Okay, okay, she was my girlfriend! She-she died in a car accident about a year ago! It wasn't my fault! I was cleared in the investigation, it was an accident, for Christ sakes!"

"That's a good cover story. Making it look like a car accident and using your pull in Miami to have to truth buried in paperwork. It allowed you to allude the police. Miami Metro may not know what really happened to Emily, but I do. The bruising around her neck was not caused by her seatbelt during the car accident, but by your hands as you strangled the life out of her."

"Who are you? Look, maybe we can work something out. I have over a million dollars in a bank account in the Caymans, with one phone call I can-"

"I don't want your money!"

"T-then what do you want from me? I'll do anything just please let me go." Scott pleaded as tears began to form in his eyes. He was starting to become very worried when suddenly his money and status was not going to save him.

"I want you to tell me why. Why did you kill the woman who loved you and was carrying your unborn child?"

"She was trying to trap me! I told her I didn't want a kid the minute she told me she was pregnant! She wouldn't listen! I told her to get an abortion but she refused! If I just left her she would have stuck me with child support! What was I suppose to do?"

Morgan let out a low growl. His face formed a look of distain as he listened to Tanner's explanation of why he chose to do away with his pregnant girlfriend. Had this been Jake Kirkwood's mindset when it came to Hannah and their pregnancy? What if Hannah had been Emily?

"You disgust me! I may be a killer, but never Hannah, never our unborn child!"

As Dexter voiced his anger, he brought the point of the knife blade down into the table only inches away from Scott's head, causing him to cower with fear.

"W-who's Hannah? Please, please, just let me go! I'll leave Miami, you'll never see me again!"

"Oh, you will be leaving Miami, Scott; in five or six hefty bags that I'll drop right into the ocean. You'll be swept away by the gulf stream never to be seen again." Dex replied in a composed voice as he smiled slightly thinking about his body disposing ritual.

"You'll never get away with it! I'm a high profile guy, there's going to be an investigation if I disappear!"

Tanner was doing his best to try and talk his way out of the situation. He thought that reasoning with his captor would be a way to talk him out of it. Unfortunately for Scott, he did not know Dexter Morgan and his need. This back and forth dialogue was all just a kind of foreplay leading up to the inevitable kill.

"I think I'll take my chances..." Morgan muttered pulling his knife from the kill table as he moved back to where his kill tools were laid out. He eyed one of the bigger meat cleavers and then slowly removed it from his black canvas knife kit before continuing:

"I'm doing the world a service by ridding it of you: a murderer of an innocent woman who's only mistake was loving you and wanting to give you a family. I'm going to savor this. It's the perfect gift I could give myself on the eve of my wedding to Hannah."

Dexter's words caused Tanner to become agitated as the reality of what was going to happen to him was finally beginning to set in. The fact that the business tycoon had no control in the matter set a wave of anger rushing over him.

"Fuck you and your knocked up whore!" Scott screamed when Dexter was again standing over him.

His outburst lit a fuse in Dexter's lizard brain that caused him to react immediately. He grabbed Tanner by his neck with his right hand. Morgan squeezed with all his might. Tanner's eyes began to glaze over with tears. This was how Scott's pregnant girlfriend felt before she died and now Tanner was experiencing it firsthand. As Scott gasped for air, his tongue to protrude from his mouth. Dexter immediately let go of his throat and grabbed hold of it, stretching it out, before swiftly bringing the cleaver down on it, detaching it cleanly. Tanner howled in pain as the blood instantly began to gush from the wound.

"Say disparaging things about my soon-to-be wife makes you lose a tongue." Morgan sneered as he held up the bloody piece of flesh before tossing it to the plastic covered floor. He was still shaking in anger in response to Tanner's words.

Scott was crying and whimpering in pain now. A steady stream of red flowed from his mouth and down the side of his neck. He began to cough, his body keeping him from aspirating on the blood.

"I think this ends our little dialogue." Dexter muttered with an sinister smirk.

He reached over to grab his roll of duck tape and used a strip of it to cover Tanner's bloody mouth. Scott's eyes widened, he swallowed a few times, trying to keep himself from drowning in his own blood while he breathed hard through his nose.

"I'm going to cut you up, piece by piece..." Morgan vowed with a look of distain. He moved the bloody cleaver through the air, over the length of Tanner's body.

And then Dexter Morgan commenced with doing just as he promised. He started with the hands and feet. Tanner had a few minutes of muffled screams before he passed out from the overwhelming pain and blood loss. Dexter worked on, sectioning off the body, piece by piece until all that was left to do was put the clean butchered sections into his hefty bags. With the body taken care of, all that remained was the dismantling of the kill room, which he did quickly but efficiently.

The night boat ride out to sea was as calming and tranquil as it ever was. After dumping each one of the bags overboard, he took a moment for himself and sat in silence. He pulled out a bottle of beer from his small cooler and noticed Brian was already sitting on the edge of the Slice of Life with a cold one of his own.

_Brian: "Things got a little brutal back there, didn't they, little brother. I didn't know that you liked making your victims suffer."_

_"He wasn't a victim. His girlfriend and unborn baby were the victims. He was subhuman, a piece of trash that I thoroughly enjoyed decimating. I really wish I could have kept a blood slide, this was one kill I never want to forget."_

Dexter's focus quickly shifted to his cell phone that vibrated to signal an incoming text message. He pulled out his iPhone and checked its display. He smiled when he saw that the text was from Hannah:

'Hope ur having fun tonight. ;) I'm excited for tomorrow! Love u xoxox'

The message caused his grin to widen as he brought his thumbs to the screen. The meaning behind the winky face was not lost on him. She knew about the kill he had planned. It was their secret, an inside joke between the two of them. The first of many. He paused for a moment before texting her back:

'Fun times.. ;) Love u too'

_Brian: "Any doubts about going through with it tomorrow? This will be wife number two, and we both know what happened to wife number one."_

Dex slipped his smart phone back into his cargo pants pocket before responding:

_"None, this marriage will be completely different: honest and open. Rita Bennett was naive, I purposely kept her in the dark about who I really was. But what kept her safe was what killed her. She had no idea Trinity was after me. I tell Hannah everything, because she can handle it. She can take care of herself and our children."_

His little brother's reasoning compelled Moser to take a long swig of his beer, after which he had a smart ass comment to answer back complete with a smirk.

_Brian: "A match made in heaven?"_

Dexter and Brian both began to chuckle before clinking their beer bottles together. Morgan's bachelor's night out had been what he would consider a success; a stalk and kill, followed by some quiet time out on his boat with his big brother.

* * *

Quinn let out a grunt. His eyes squinting from the light of the new day that filled the bedroom. His head was killing him, obviously a result of the many drinks he had consumed at the club the night before. Letting out another groan, Joey rolled over onto his back and took notice of the fact that he and Deb were both naked and in bed together, her bed, to be exact.

After partying hard with the guys, he had been drawn to Lieutenant Morgan's beach abode for a late night romp. She had seemed to be having her own little party before he got there, and the two of them had made sloppy, drunk sex that he could only vaguely remember. It had become a normal thing for them; late night sex without any strings attached, no labels. It was how Deb wanted it.

Joey reached for his gold plated Rolex watch that was sitting on the nightstand. An obscenity escaped his mouth when he saw that he only had an hour to get to Dexter's wedding. Those ceremonies were hard enough to get through, but add a pounding headache and it spelled nightmare.

"Where the fuck are you going?" Deb croaked the minute he tried to slide out of the bed.

"Your brother's wedding. It starts in an hour and I still have to go home and get ready. Are you really sure that you don't want to go? I mean, it's your brother."

"I rather stick needles in my fucking eyes. I'm going back to sleep." She quickly replied before turning her back to him, closing her eyes.

"What's going on between you two? You guys never talk anymore and when you are around each other, you seem to go out of your way to ignore him." Joey pointed out as he quickly began to put his clothes on from the night before.

Quinn's inquiry into the her strained relationship with her brother made it impossible for her to attempt to try and drift off back to sleep. He was bringing up the one subject she had been trying so hard to avoid in the past few weeks. Why did he always want to talk about everything? He was like a woman that just happened to have a dick.

"Just stay out of it Joey, it's really none of your business. The last thing I want to do is talk about Dexter with you. Just get dressed and leave." Lt. Morgan replied with a bit of venom in her voice.

Quinn kept his eyes on her while he finished dressing. He watched as she found her prescription bottle of Xanax on her bedside table.

"How long are you suppose to be taking those? I thought they were for your broken wrist. The cast has been off for weeks now, don't you think it's time you stopped taking the pills?"

"Motherfucker.." muttered Debra after she popped two pills into her mouth. She chewed them and swallowed before then responding back to him. "I was prescribed these pills to help me cope with all the bullshit that comes at me in waves every single fucking day. Why do you want to add to it, Joey?"

"I'm sorry, I don't want to, Deb. It's just that I'm worried about you. You've been drinking a lot lately too and it's starting to affect your work. You show up late just about every day."

"You're going to talk to me about my drinking habits, really? Pot meet fucking kettle!"

"Deb, it's just-"

"Jesus Christ, will you just go? I'm done talking about all of this!" She hollered, cutting him off before he could explain why he was concerned about her.

Quinn realized that there was no reasoning with her and abided by her request. The fact that he was already running late did not help the situation either. The subject could be brought up another time. The important thing was that his inquiry would resurface again soon. Joey wasn't going to let Deb get off that easily.

* * *

Dexter stood in front of the mirror in his apartment's bedroom. Carefully, he pinned a rose boutonniere to the lapel of his black tuxedo coat. The tuxedo's vest was a crimson red with a matching bow-tie. The wedding colors black and red, how fitting. Brian appeared next to his brother wearing the groomsmen attire of a traditional black tux.

_Brian: "We're looking good, little brother. It's getting close to showtime. Do you have rings?"_

_"Yeah, everything is all set, Hannah and Jamie did all the planning, I just showed up to the fitting and the rehearsal. Do you think it's weird that I'm giving Hannah the engagement and wedding rings that I gave to Rita?"_

Moser was busy fixing his black bow-tie while Dexter stood there waiting for his brother's response.

_Brian: "I don't know if I'm the right person to ask. I gave Debra a dead hooker's ring when I 'proposed' to her."_

Morgan's attention immediately shifted when Jamie entered the room with Harrison. She was wearing her elegant black bride's maid dress. Harrison wore his little groomsmen tuxedo as he was going to be Daddy and Hannah's ring bearer.

"Hey Dex, are we all ready to go? We don't want to be late." Jamie announced doing her best to fix the three year old's bowtie as he fidgeted.

"All set, let's head out." Dexter replied with a smile before bending down to pick up his son, "Come on, buddy, let's go make Hannah officially part of our family."

"It's too bad Astor and Cody aren't going to be there, though, it might be hard on them knowing that their stepfather has moved on and is getting remarried."

"That's what I thought. Harrison's birthday is months away, I'm sure they will come to visit then and I'll introduce Hannah to them."

The nanny smiled and simply nodded in agreement. She was not going to question her boss' decision to not include his step-children in his wedding. Morgan had already done so much for her. He was gracious enough to let her take his apartment after he and Hannah tie the knot. It was really going to work out best for everyone: Little Harrison was going to get to live in a home with both a mother and father and Jamie was going to get quite a nice bachelorette pad.

* * *

Tom Matthews was dressed in one of his fresh pressed suits and was stepping lively as he made his way over to his automobile. Once inside, he turned over his engine and attempted to back the car out of his driveway.

"What the fuck?" He said aloud when a Bentley suddenly pulled in his intended path.

Nick Porter stepped out of his luxury sedan and approached Matthews who was getting out of his car to give him a piece of his mind.

"What the hell are you doing? I could have hit you. You're blocking my driveway and I have somewhere to be." Tom immediately said when Porter came over to him.

"I'm sorry about that. It's Tom Matthews, right? Former Deputy Chief?"

"That's right, what do you want?" Tom asked, quite annoyed by being held up.

"You're a hard guy to get a hold of. How was the vacation?"

"Just peachy, look just come out with what you want. My late friend's son is getting married and I don't want to be late to the ceremony."

Nick chuckled, shifting his weight one foot to another before he extended his hand to formally introduce himself.

"I'm Nick Porter, a private investigator hired by Sergeant Angel Batista. I'm looking into the death of Captain Maria Laguerta. I was informed that you worked with Maria on the Bay Harbor Butcher case just before her death. Do you mind if I ask you some questions? Get a statement?"

Tom rolled his eyes before crossing his arms in front of his chest and glancing at his watch. This hotshot investigator sure had a knack for pissing him off. From beginning to end, Laguerta and the Bay Harbor Butcher case had been nothing but a headache for him. Why was he having to relive it now?

"Jesus Christ, Batista needs to let it go. There's nothing to investigate. Maria Laguerta was mucho loco. She was in complete denial over the fact that her former co-worker and lover, Sergeant James Doakes, was the Bay Harbor Butcher. Before her death, she went as far as to try and plant evidence to frame Dexter Morgan. As I see it, Estrada put her out of her misery. She had already committed career suicide because of her obsession. There's your statement, now kindly move your car so I can leave."

Matthews went to turn his back on Nick so that he could get back into his car, but Porter persisted, coming back with another question:

"So this guy, Dexter Morgan? Laguerta's files stated that Estrada had been responsible for the death of Morgan's biological mother, Laura Moser. Dexter is a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro, somewhat of an expert when it comes to crime scenes. Is that accurate?"

Nick's words caused Matthews to slowly turn back around to face him. He wore a look of sincerity that only intensified when he closed the distance between himself and the young P.I. He held a finger out before beginning to speak:

"You leave Dexter out of this. He's been through enough and is finally getting his personal life back on track. I promised his father, Harry, that I'd look after him and Debra. I won't let you drag either of them into this nonsense. Go back to your client and tell him that investigating a closed case is a waste of your time and resources."

"Well, thanks for your time. I'll let you be on your way. Nice meeting you." Nick conceded, retreating back to his Bentley. The minute he moved his car, Tom sped out in reverse. Once in the road, he quickly shifted to drive and accelerated off.

* * *

The Hannah-Flora Nursery garden was the setting of Dexter and Hannah's small, intimate wedding ceremony. There was a short guest list invited to the event: the Miami Metro Homicide division and Tom Matthews. The obvious absence was Debra. The fact that she was M.I.A to her own brother's wedding had a number of the guests whispering amongst themselves. It was no secret to anyone that Dexter and his sister were on the outs, but no one knew the reason why.

Dexter stood to the left of the priest, Angel was at his side in his groomsmen tuxedo minus his signature fedora. Padre Miguel Flores was a close friend of Angel's and had agreed to marry Morgan and McKay without any of the traditional hoops couples had to jump through before being able to marry; Batista's gift to the couple.

"Dex, you disappeared from the club last night. The guys and I were kind of worried about you. The text message you sent all of us was weird." Batista whispered close to Morgan's ear.

"Sorry, between the liquor and the lap dance, I wasn't feeling well. I decided to opt out. I took a cab home." Morgan quickly replied, not missing a beat when it came to giving an excuse for his disappearance.

Angel gave a smile and nodded, seemingly having bought into the lie that Dexter had spun for him.

_"If he only knew my real bachelor party had consisted of. If Angel saw the real me, then he would have surely step down from the duties of best man."_

Morgan then noticed groomsmen Brian standing between him and the Sergeant.

_Brian: "You know that I'm the unofficial best man, right?"_

_"Of course you are. At least one of my siblings is here today. Deb stood up for me when I married Rita and now I can't even get to her attend my wedding to Hannah."_

_Brian: "That doesn't matter. Your last wedding was nothing more than a charade. This is the real deal, and you have your real family by your side."_

The hired string quartet began to play Canon D as Jamie was the first to come down the aisle. She took her spot opposite her brother. Harrison was then instructed to walk down the aisle way carrying the ring pillow just like he had practiced at the rehearsal. He was all smiles and even waved at his daddy as he got closer.

The music ceased for a moment before Wagner's Bridal Chorus broke the silence. The bridal theme signaled that it was time for the guests to get to their feet. They looked in the direction of where the bride was going to make her appearance.

And then Dexter saw her. Hannah was in a flowing crimson red wedding dress. She held a bouquet of spotted phalaenopsis orchids in her hands while she slowly marched toward him, in time with the quartet. Her beautiful blonde hair was pinned in an elegant up-do that was complete with a small white veil on the back of her head.

_Brian: "Not the traditional white wedding dress, huh?"_

_"We're definitely not the traditional bride and groom."_

Morgan's brown eyes focused intently on his love. His lips parted slightly as he stood there in awe of her radiance.

_"She's perfect. A vision in red. The most beautiful living being I've ever laid eyes on. This union is real. No feelings of obligation and responsibility, just the jubilation of becoming one."_

_Brian: "You're killing me, Dexter. You sound like the narrator of a Lifetime movie."_

Moser let out a long exaggerated sigh while his little brother was mesmerized by his bride to be. McKay smiled at him. When she approached, she handed off her orchid bouquet to Jamie. Harrison quickly moved from his spot so that he could hug Hannah's legs. The guest let out an 'awe' in unison. McKay's smile widened because of the child, and it was Jamie who ushered the three year old back in place. The quartet brought their music to a close and Dexter took Hannah's hands in his.

Dexter and Hannah gazed into each other's eyes when the priest began the ceremony. Neither one of them were paying any mind to his religious reciting that preceded the part where they would say their wedding vows and be pronounced husband and wife. The reference to their marriage being a 'holy union that had been ordained by God himself' did make the both of them grin like they were going to start snickering. If only Father Flores knew that he was marrying two serial killers in the presence of about a half dozen police officers.

McKay couldn't help sucking in her breath when it was asked if anyone knew a reason why they should not be wedded. She was half expecting Debra to come charging in to stop them, but the moment passed without interruption.

"Hold up the rings for Daddy." Jamie whispered to Harrison as she bent down beside him.

The child held up the pillow with both arms stretched as high up as he could over his head. Morgan smiled at his son and removed both rings.

"Hannah, from the first moment I saw you right here in your garden, I knew that you were different from all the others before you. You've proven that you know me better than I know myself. We've had our trials and tribulations, but we've endured, and now we're a stronger couple in spite of it all. I promise to always put you and our children first. You can count on me to be the husband you deserve as we create our own Argentina together."

McKay's eyes were filled with tears while she allowed Dexter to place the wedding ring on her finger. His vows were perfect; encapsulating the span of their relationship from their first meeting to where they were now. She sniffled a few times before it was her turn to speak to him.

"Dexter, you're everything I ever wanted and more. You've given me the real life fairytale that I've dreamed of since I was a little girl in Clopton, Alabama. I will stand by you, in life and death. I vow to be the best wife and mother that I can be as we face the future together. "

Debra approached the front of Hannah's property. By the time she followed the white picket fence toward the garden, she was able to see the ceremony from afar. Her eyes fixated on the bride and groom. She watched intently as Hannah slipped a wedding band on her brother's finger. Debra breathed sharply when she witnessed Dexter and Hannah's first kiss as husband and wife. Her eyebrows furrowed . She felt like she was going to be sick to her stomach. The wedding guests were now standing, applauding their union like it was something to celebrate.

"Dexter and Hannah Morgan!" Angel announced causing the applause to continue.

Dex grabbed Hannah's hand in his and raised it as they both smiled at their guests who kept the round of applause going as the quartet began to play the Wedding March.

Deb was seething. Hannah fucking Morgan. The thought of having to share a surname with that woman drove Debra completely up the wall. Her father would be rolling over in his grave if he knew that their family name had just been given to a cold blooded killer, the complete opposite of what her father had stood for.

What was she doing there? Deb had to ask herself that question over and over again as she just stood in place. She was an outsider looking in on the wedding party. Why didn't she stay home? She could have taken enough beer and Alprazolam to put her into a coma for the rest of the weekend. Perhaps she was just a glutton for punishment; a part of her needed to see her brother actually go through with it, and he had.

Deb couldn't bring herself to proceed forward. She was preoccupied with watching Dexter and Hannah posing for wedding photos which eventually included Harrison. One big happy fucking family that didn't include her. McKay had won. She had successfully taken the only family in the world that Debra had left.

"There's Aunt Deb!" Harrison piped from where he sat on his stepmother's hip. He pointed out across the backyard to where he could see his aunt in the distance.

Dexter and Hannah both looked out to where the three year old was pointing. They then exchanged a look without saying a word. Neither of them knew how long Debra had been standing there as a voyeur. She looked disheveled, wearing wrinkled Miami Metro t-shirt and pair of sweatpants. Her brown hair was uncombed and crimped in the back. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed.

They also did not know what she was planning to do. Was Debra going to be civil or would so go off half cocked in any minute? She was like a loaded gun, unpredictable. Dex was beginning to wonder if it would be best for him to approach her, but before he could make a decision, she began to move toward them.

"Here we go, get ready for the fireworks." Hannah commented, shifting Harrison to her other hip.

Dexter instinctively moved to position himself in front of his new wife in case his sister decided to make a beeline for her. To his surprised, Debra came to a halt only a few feet away. She shot her brother a look of disappointment before turning her attention to all the happy wedding guests who were carrying on with their conversations. Deb's eyes fell upon a tray of filled champagne glasses that sat on one of the tables. She grabbed one of them and raised in the air before speaking up:

"Hey! As sister of the groom I get to make a fucking toast!"

Debra's hollering caused the reception to come screeching to a standstill. The guests all looked in her direction. Her fellow officers were a bit shocked by her late arrival and her peculiar demeanor. They stood there quietly and allowed her to continue.

"Here's to you, Dexter! I hope you and your killer wife are as happy as pigs in shit! Fucking match made in hell! I can't believe you people are here celebrating with them! There's probably fucking aconite in every one of these glasses!" She ranted, before angrily tossing the champagne glass to the floor.

It was Tom Matthews who first reacted aloud to her erratic behavior:

"Jesus Christ, she's drunk. What an embarrassment..Someone get her out of here." Matthews commented aloud before throwing back his shot of whiskey that he had just received at the open bar.

It was Joey who quickly moved to confront his lover before she could continue to make a scene in front of her colleagues.

"Deb, come on, let's get you home. You had too much to drink and you're not yourself. You aren't thinking clearly." Quinn told her as he attempted to lead her away.

"No, I'm not the one who needs to leave! She does!" screamed Deb, pulling away from him, as she pointed her finger directly at the bride.

Hannah was wide eyed, her mouth ajar in utter shock by Debra's off the wall behavior. The newly pronounced Mrs. Morgan really knew how to play the innocent. There were so many things that she could say to retaliate against her new sister-in-law, but she had enough tact to allow Deb to come off as a nutcase. No one was going to take her seriously. Dexter knew this too. He was choosing to go the same route that Hannah had decided on. It was best for them to let Deb carry on. Harrison had hid his face in Hannah's chest the minute his aunt had raised her voice. The couple placed hands on both of the boy's ears to shield him from hearing Deb's disparaging words.

"She belongs in an orange jumpsuit behind a cell door! None of you even care about what she's capable of! She killed her last husband for fuck's sake! She's-"

"Quinn!" Dexter shouted, cutting off his sister's verbal onslaught, "Get her out of here now!"

Dexter had seen and heard enough from his sister. He didn't like seeing her like this. Deb was so stubborn. She absolutely refused to accept the fact that Hannah was now a permanent fixture in his life. Several weeks had passed since she had found out about the pregnancy and decided not to be a part of his life anymore. Still, she couldn't stay away. He and Harrison were the only family she had. This was a new low for Deb; the whole homicide division witnessing her decompensating. The fallout from this could very well have some serious repercussions to her reputation and her position as Lieutenant. Dexter didn't want that for her.

Joey used his strength to lift Debra off her feet. He placed her across his shoulder and began to carry her off of Hannah's property with her kicking and screaming at him the entire way.

"Let me go, Joey, I mean it!" Deb hollered as they reached the sidewalk out in front of Hannah's house. It was then that he put her back on her feet next to her unmarked car.

"You fucking fucktard, keep your fucking hands off of me!" She screamed while hitting Joey over and over again with her fists.

"Do you see yourself? You are completely out of control! You'll be lucky if the interim Captain Matthews doesn't suspend you because of your fucking public intoxication!" He yelled back at her, grabbing hold of her hands so that she could no longer hit him.

"Fuck him and fuck you! I don't give a shit about my job anymore!"

"Deb!" He hollered back as he grabbed hold of her arms and shook her a few times, "What is wrong with you? Tell me! You're falling apart with the constant booze and the pills! What's really going on here?"

"Get off of me! Let go!"

Debra pulled away from Quinn with such force that she fell to the cement sidewalk, slightly abrading the palm of her hand upon impact.

"Fuck..me..." She hissed threw gritted teeth as she examined her hand.

"So what is it, huh? Talk to me! I'm here for you!"

"Well you shouldn't be, Joey. I'm no good for you. You should try and patch things up with Jamie." She muttered back while she slowly got to her feet.

"No, what are you talking about? I don't want to go back with Jamie, I left her so we could be together. Deb...I love you." Quinn proclaimed, putting his heart completely on his sleeve.

Debra let out a pressured sigh. She brought her hands up to her head and dug her nails into her scalp before she replied back.

"You need to get a fucking life, Joey. Just get a real life with a girlfriend who will care about you and take care of you. Get as far away from me as possible because I'm broken. I'm broken beyond repair and if you stay with me I will drag you down right along with me." Deb told him with tears in her eyes.

"I have a life. I put everything into on the idea of us having a real future together! I see things for us that I could never see when I was with Jamie. That's why I left her for you."

"Well that was a really stupid decision on your part. Come on, Quinn, we did the fuck buddy thing for a second time and now it's time to end it for good." Debra muttered in a low voice as she folded her arms in front of her chest.

Tears sparkled in Joey's eyes. He blinked a few times causing them to cascade down his face. He was devastated. This was the second time that Debra had pulled the rug out from under him, dumping him. He had barely come back from her rejection of his wedding proposal, and now she was cutting him out of her life as if he meant nothing more to her than someone to get off with.

"Deb..." He croaked as she began to walk into the street so that she could get into her car.

"I'm sorry, Joey. I just can't." Debra replied back before getting in her car and driving off.

* * *

In the wake of Debra making a scene at the reception, the festivities were able to be resumed. That wasn't to say that Lieutenant Morgan's outburst had not become the main topic of conversation among her colleagues. Masuka was particularly disappointed that Deb and Hannah had not gotten into it:

"Admit it, guys, you would have paid to see Hannah and Deb go at it. You know, get nasty, rip each other's clothes off-"

Angel replied cutting off Masuka before he could finish saying his nasty thought. "That's not funny. Deb was really upset." 

"Oh come on, Angel, no heterosexual man can deny that they would jump at the chance to get in the middle of a cat fight between those two. Literally, to be smashed between them; two sets of titties smothering my face: like dual twin engines, double motor boat. I don't think I'd ever want to come up for air. Huhuhuhuhuhuh."

Vince Masuka's laughing was cut short when he noticed that Father Flores was standing behind him and had overheard his perverted comments.

"Um, I'm just going to go get a drink." Masuka quickly added before getting away from the situation as fast as he could.

Batista shook his head and put his hand on the priest's shoulder. The two of them had gone back a long way as Father Flores had married him and his first wife, Nina, and had baptized their little girl, Auri.

"That's a man who needs prayer in his life." Flores pointed out as he held up his Holy Bible.

"Padre, I don't think there's enough beads on a rosary to pray for his absolution. Ay dios mio, he'd have to do penance every time he'd open his mouth."

The wedding guests' attention was then shifted back onto Dexter and Hannah as they prepared cut into their red velvet wedding cake. They smile while both of their hands grasp the long silver knife as it plunges deep into the cake. The guests look on as the bride and groom then took turns feeding each other. Morgan kissed his new wife once before noticing his father, Harry, leaning up against one of the trees on the outskirts of the garden.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hannah asks, touching his face to bring his attention back to her.

"Yeah, I'll be right back. I just need a minute."

She nodded and watched as Dexter ventured off. He could feel his wife's eyes still on him and he made an attempt to provide a reason for having to slip away. He approached the table of refreshments and grabbed one of the beers. Just as he was doing so, Harry was walking up to him.

_"I'm surprised to see you here."_

Dex leaned back against the edge of the table and looked out at his party guests. His father stood by his side and mimicked his stance.

_Harry: "Do you really think I'd miss seeing my son's wedding? I don't agree with many of your recent choices, but I don't love you any less. No matter the extent of your darkness, I've always stood by your side."_

His father's words caused him to chuckle. Dex took a drink from his beer before responding:

_"If only Deb shared your point of view."_

_Harry: "Your sister does love you, Dex. The fact that she couldn't stay away from here today is proof of that. Debra needs your support. She's been careening out of control ever since she killed Laguerta to protect you. You haven't been there for her like you need to be."_

Dexter sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead to act out his obvious frustration with the advice his father was giving him.

_"I've tried but she refuses to accept the life I want for myself. I'm not going to give up my chance to finally be whole for an adoptive sister who won't let me be happy."_

_Harry: "'Adoptive sister'? Is that how you see Debra now?"_

_"I've always put Deb first. I went out of my way to help her solve case after case, I even killed my own brother to keep her safe. It has to stop somewhere. She needs to stand on her own two feet and I need to start living my life for me."_

Before Harry could give his son a response, Dexter walked away from him. As far as he was concerned, the running dialogue with his father was over. Hannah and Harrison were awaiting his return.

* * *

Nicholas Porter sat by himself at a local sports bar in downtown Miami. He was drumming his fingers over and over again on the table, glancing at his fancy watch every moment or two. Nick was beginning to think that he had been stood up. It had been a call that had seamlessly come out of nowhere requesting a rendezvous.

"Can I get you something, sir?" The bartender asked.

"Yeah, a scotch neat." He replied before throwing a crisp twenty dollar bill on the table.

This could very well be a waste of time. His last interaction with this person had been a phone call weeks ago that had ended as soon as it had gone through. She had denied even making the call, but caller id did not lie. It was when his drink arrived that his waited guest did as well.

"Wow, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up. " Nick said with a smile when he saw Debra approaching the bar.

She was still wearing the same outfit from earlier but had since ran a comb through her hair, making herself look somewhat presentable. Porter didn't seem to mind as he used his foot to pull the stool next to him out so that she could sit down.

"Can I get a fucking drink?" She asked as she nervously swept her hair behind her ears while taking a seat.

"Of course, whatever you want, it's on me."

"I'll have whatever you're having. I just need to get shitfaced."

Nick laughed and snapped his fingers to get the bartender's attention, he motioned for another scotch. A glass was placed in front of Debra and it was filled to the brim. She quickly grabbed it and chugged it down.

"I take it you're having a bad day?"

"'Ha, 'bad day' doesn't even beginning to describe the shit I've been through courtesy of my brother." She retorted slamming the glass down on the bar table.

"Dexter Morgan, huh? I talked with Former Deputy Chief Tom Matthews earlier today and he seemed pretty adamant of me leaving your brother out of my investigation."

"Dexter has Matthews and everyone else in the dark when it comes to his bullshit. He thinks he can just fuck everyone over in the process of keeping his life the way he wants it." She muttered back, trying really hard to fight back to tears from forming.

"Including you? I take it that your brother has screwed you over pretty hard. You asked me to meet you here to talk about what your brother has to do with the Bay Harbor Butcher case. So spill it, what skeletons does Dexter Morgan have in his closet?"

Deb narrowed her eyes and shifted her position on the bar stool. Porter was definitely jumping to conclusions as she had not given him any specifics of what it was she was going to tell him about Dexter's involvement in his investigation.

"You're assuming that what I was going to tell you somehow incriminates Dexter in Maria's death. I never claimed to be giving you that kind of information." She heard herself back pedal.

Nick looked a bit puzzled for a moment before his perfect smile resurfaced. He chuckled and then took a sip of his drink.

"What?" Deb asked coyly flashing a shy smile of her own.

"You know what I think? I think you pretended to have some hot lead for me so that I would agree to meet you for a drink."

"Fuck you." Deb giggled as she gave him a playful punch to his arm.

Porter was way off base with his assumption that she had only invited him there so that they could flirt and get to know one another. The truth was that Deb had arrived at the sports bar with the intention of providing the private investigator with knowledge that would make her brother the prime suspect in the circumstances surrounding Laguerta's death. The two things that Debra had not counted on were the fact that she would be so hesitant to betray her brother and that she would be so infatuated with Nick.

"Hey, I'm a wealth of untapped information." She insisted, before reaching over and taking a sip out of his drink.

"You're untapped, huh?" Nick muttered back raising his eyebrows as he laughed.

"Yeah, I am. Why do you want to tap me? Get down and deep?"

They both started laughing as Debra leaned over him and placed her hand in his lap.

"What if I do?" He asked back as he ran his tongue over his bottom lip.

"Then I'd tell you to come back to my place with me."

They exchanged smirks before Nick polished off the last of his scotch. He left enough cash to cover both the tip and Debra's drink before the two of them left together.

"I'll follow you." Nick called out spinning his car keys on his finger.

"Fuckin' A you will." She muttered after getting in her unmarked police cruiser.

With the new found prospect of getting laid by the hot private detective, Debra had to admit that the pendulum of her day was finally on the upswing. She had already released Joey from his entanglement in the mess that was her life so it seemed that Mr. Nicholas Porter was her best shot at getting some human connection in her time of need.

Lieutenant Morgan led the way back to her beach house. She parked in her usual spot as Porter's bentley pulled up behind her. Little did Debra or Nick know that Joey Quinn had been parked further down the street. He had been sitting there for over an hour, waiting for her to return home so that he could check on her. Quinn was not at all satisfied with how their conversation ended earlier.

"What the fuck?" He breathed when he saw Nick Porter grab Debra's bottom causing her to whip around and place a kiss on his lips.

Joey couldn't believe what he was seeing. She had dumped him earlier in the day only to go off and find a new guy to bring home for a booty call. He had not wanted to believe that she was telling the truth about merely seeing them as fuck buddies, but the fact that she was all over this new guy proved it to be a fact. He was all alone now; no Jamie, no Deb. All that was left was his shitty job which would require him to see Debra every single day.

Quinn brought his hand to his eyes. He rubbed them hard, trying to do away with the tears that were unbecoming to a tough guy from the Bronx. Joey's jaw trembled as he tried with all his might to hold back his emotions. It took everything within him not to get out his car and confront Debra and her prospective lover. He stayed right where he was until he saw Deb pulling Nick into her house before slamming the front door shut. And then, Joey started his Cadillac and sped off.

* * *

"Fuck..." Deb said in a strained whisper while Nick kissed her neck, "the bedroom is that way."

Porter had pounced on Debra as soon as they had entered her beach house. He had her pinned against the wall by her bathroom, knocking over a floor lamp during their foreplay. Their mouths came crashing together again as she attempted to push his suit jacket off of his shoulders. He stopped her from doing so. It was then that he revealed his gold plated pen from his jacket pocket. Morgan looked confused by his actions until she saw him unscrew the top of the pen. He brought it to his nose and snorted.

"Is that fucking coke?" She asked, her chest was still heaving due to her arousal.

"Yeah, why are you going to arrest me?"

"I'm not a fucking NARC. Give me a bump." She muttered moving forward to partake in the small amount of cocaine that he had hidden in his pen.

Nick took her by her hand and then tipped the pen over to allow some of the white powder to dispense onto the side of her hand. Once he finished, Debra immediately snorted it. There was an immediate rush of adrenaline as the drug entered her system. She pulled Porter into a lip lock, as they then began to undress each other.

Much to Debra's surprise, Nick revealed that he had another source of cocaine in the form of a little baggy that he had in his dress pants. Having sex while being high on cocaine was better than Deb ever thought possible. All of her pleasure senses were heightened and she didn't have a care in the world. They were in the moment, both aching for release and when it came, it lasted longer than ever before. Another bump and they were ready to go again. Neither of them had any sense of the time that had passed.

"Holy shit load of fuck!" She hollered out in pleasure as Nick collapsed onto her back making her lay flat on her stomach.

They were both glistening with sweat as Debra was trying hard to catch her breath. Nick reached over to his baggy of coke and made a line of it on the small of her back right above her ass. He snorted it before Debra flipped over onto her back and pulled him into a searing kiss.

The sound of Deb's cell phone ringtone caused her to curse. Her first inclination was to ignore the call, but Nick advised her to answer it. She wiggled free from his grasp and scurried to find her cell phone that was buried in a sea of clothing.

"Morgan." She said, trying to sound as professional as she could since she had not taken the time to look at the caller id.

"Deb, it's Angel. Listen, something terrible has happened."

"Is it Dexter or Harrison?" She asked back reflexively without even thinking about it.

Her mind immediately began to create the narrative in which Hannah had brutally stabbed or poisoned her brother and nephew on her wedding night.

"No....It's Quinn....Deb."

"What, what happened to Joey? Spit it the fuck out, Angel!"

"He committed suicide sometime earlier today. Neighbors at his apartment called 911 when they heard a gunshot....Deb? Deb, are you there?"

Morgan ended the call before she dropped her cell phone. She stood there with her mouth gaped open as her mind tried to process what Batista had just told her. This couldn't be happening. She had just seen Joey earlier in the day. The last thing she had said to him was that she was sorry and they couldn't be together. This was her fault.

"Deb? What's the matter?" Porter inquired as he studied the expression on her face.

"I killed him! I killed Joey! I broke up with him and he killed himself!" She blurted out as she began to sob violently.

Nick raced to his feet and took her into his arms. She clung to him with all her might.

"I'm so fucked up! I can't do this anymore! First Maria and now Joey, I don't think I can handle this!" She continued as Porter made her sit down on the bed with him so he could comfort her.

"Shh, Deb, calm down. What are you talking about?" He asked in a calm, caring voice as he brushed her hair away from her face.

Debra's face was contorted in a look of anguish. Her breathing was erratic as she kept trying to regain her composure. Her heart was racing, beating so fast. The cocaine had attributed to her loss of control.

"I shot Laguerta in that shipping container! She told me to put Dexter down but I couldn't do it! My brother is a God damn fucking serial killer but I couldn't do it!"

"Woah, woah, calm down and take a deep breath. It's going to be okay, you're just not thinking clearly right now." Nick assured her, not buying into the off the wall confession she had just made to him.

"I'm fucked up, Nick! I shot Maria to protect my brother and now I caused Joey to take his own life because I refused to love him back!"

This time Nick said nothing back. He looked somewhat confused by Lieutenant Morgan's insistence of her part in Laguerta's murder. Porter held his breath in for a moment before letting out a long exhale. The plot had just thickened and it had gone in a direction that he had not seen coming. The question now became what he was going to do with the information he now had. He looked on with a sympathetic gaze as Debra moved to grab her prescription bottle of Xanax from her bedside table. She dispensed two pills into her hand before shoveling them into her mouth.

"You seem like a great person, Deb. I'm sure that you did what you thought was right at the time. Now the question is, what are you going to do about it now?"

There was a long pause that was filled with Debra sobbing. She knew what her response needed to be but it was killing her because she didn't want to say it. Despite the riff that had formed between her and her brother over Hannah, he was still her big brother Dex. But she had to think about someone other than him now. Her three year old nephew, Harrison, was now going to be raised by not just one serial killer, but two.

"I'm going to have to stop my brother from doing what he does...I just don't know if I can.."


	9. Episode 9: A Sea of Red

_"Preparation is everything. It's the ritual leading up to that moment; the circle of life that doesn't just have an end, but also a beginning. One special room covered in plastic sheets; drips of red falling from each stroke of a hand. "_

Dexter stood amid the sea of plastic that covered the newly added room of his and Hannah's home; their unborn child's nursery. The sheets covered all of the new furnishings, including the circular crib in the middle of the room. His brown eyes focused on his wife as she guided a brush of red paint in a short stroke across the wall.

"What do you think?" She then inquired, taking a step back so that she could view her elaborate stencil work.

Dexter took a moment to view the small mural of whimsical flowers that she had painted on the wall. "It looks great. You're an artist and a florist."

Hannah let out a chuckle as she set her paint brush down and brought her hands to the front of her denim overalls that stretched across her ever growing tummy. "Oh, come on, Dex, I used stencils. It's not like I did this all free hand. It's not bad though, right?"

"I told you, you did a great job. The flowers you painted for our baby's nursery are just as beautiful as the real ones in your greenhouse." explained Morgan before giving her a quick peck on the lips and a loving embrace.

Their attention quickly shifted by the sound of little feet running into the room. Harrison entered the nursery with a big smile on his face.

"Look, Mommy, I dressed myself and combed my hair!" The child announced proudly. He was wearing a mismatched outfit. His shirt was inside out and backwards, blond hair disheveled with a small cowlick in the middle.

"Wow, you sure did, but I think you need a little help." She told him using her hand to smooth out his hair.

_"In a matter of weeks after the wedding, Harrison began referring to Hannah as his mother. I didn't correct him. Who am I to deny my son a traditional family with both a mother and father? He will know Rita gave birth to him, but Hannah is the mother that he's going to remember. It's because of this that I allowed her to legally adopt him. She'll be the one who is there for him and his little sister."_

Dexter's cell phone signaled an incoming alert from Miami Metro. The chime called the attention of his wife and son who were just about to walk out of the nursery.

"I've got to head out, crime scene."

"Okay, have a good day." Hannah replied with a smile before her husband moved in for a quick kiss.

This had become the normal routine: frequent morning crime scene alerts beckoning while Hannah was responsible for taking Harrison to preschool on her way to the flower mart. With the two of them co-parenting, Jamie rarely needed to babysit Harrison, which worked out as she was in the midst of working on her doctoral dissertation.

* * *

Dexter pulled his Ford Escape into the parking lot on the outskirts of Hobie Beach. He could see his homicide team in the distance at what looked like the shore's edge. He exited his vehicle and removed his forensic kit from the back.

Dex shuffled his way through the sand until he could see where the white pristine sand had been turned a vibrant red.

_"The sight of blood. It heightens my senses, reminding me that deep down inside I still am attracted to it like a moth to a flame. I haven't killed in months. The urge lying dormant in me as I focus on being a husband and father. But it's always there, lingering beneath the surface."_

The now Lieutenant Batista noticed his blood spatter analyst on the outskirts of the crime scene and quickly motioned for him to join them before shouting out:

"Dexter, vienes por aquí? I think we've got an open and shut suicide here!"

Morgan snapped out of his momentary daze and gave a head nod in Angel's direction. The newly appointed, Sergeant Angie Miller was standing alongside her superior. As Dexter got closer to the crime scene he saw that the body was that of an older male who was lying flat on his back. The cause of death was easily identified due to the fact that part of his face was missing. A shiny revolver lay in the red sand next to the corpse.

"You're right, Angel, this does look like a textbook suicide." explained Dex as he began to open his forensic kit and apply his white latex gloves. Masuka was busy taking pictures of the crime scene. He was more than happy to join in.

"I'm bagging the revolver and the shell casings, but I'd be willing to bet my nads that the only fingerprints on the gun are our friend's here. Judging by the condition of the body, I'd say time of death 11pm last night."

"Have we been able to ID him yet?" Morgan asked crouching down to inspect the body.

"Yeah, the driver's license in the wallet we found on him says he's Walter Griffin of Miami, Florida, date of birth 4/12/41. We can try and contact his next of kin."

"It wouldn't surprise me if Mr. Griffin doesn't have a next of kin. Single white males over seventy are one of the highest risk populations for suicide." Dex pointed out as he examined the blood spatter. Masuka angled his camera in close proximity of the victim's skull.

"How bad does shit have to be to make you want a blow a hole in your head the size of a tennis ball? This guy can forget about an open casket, if he even has relatives to give him a funeral." His words caused both Batista and Sergeant Miller to look over at him.

"You want to show a little more respect, Masuka? Months ago we were at a similar crime scene for one of our own. Quinn deserved better than this, and so does this poor bastard. It's really a sin; a waste of a God given life." Angel chastised, bringing up the fact that Joey had committed suicide earlier in the year and it was still weighing heavy on his heart.

_"Angel's right. Quinn might not have always walked the straight and narrow, but there had been boundaries he would never cross. The awkward position we had found ourselves in with Stan Liddy a few years ago had created a mutual respect between us. Another Miami Metro Homicide member deceased, but this time, I had nothing to with do it."_

"Dexter, what's this I heard through the Miami Metro grapevine that you're hosting a party tomorrow? When was this announced and why wasn't I invited? Asians are the life of the party, you know this." Vince inquired, changing the topic.

"We're having a birthday party at the house for Harrison. Hannah planned it. It's just going to be a bunch of preschoolers and their parents."

"No booze, no cooze?" Masuka quickly asked back with a look of disappointment.

"Nope, just birthday cake and a magician."

"So lame, come back to me with an invite for Harrison's 21st birthday." commented Vince while he filled out his forensic notes on his clip board.

"Dex, how old is Harrison going to be this year?" Angel inquired, adjusting his fedora as the Miami sun peeked from behind the clouds.

"Four."

"It's unbelievable how time flies. Enjoy your time with him, socio, kids grow up so fast. How has Hannah been doing, the pregnancy going well?"

With precision, Dexter began to measure the blood cast off patterns that was on and around the body while continuing his conversation with Batista. "She's doing great, she's due any day now. I think motherhood suits her. Her and Harrison get along so well. You're more than welcome to drop by the party tomorrow."

"I would, but I plan on spending the day with Auri. I don't know if a four year old's birthday party would be her idea of a good time."

"Astor and Cody are going to be there. They get to meet their stepmom."

"That's right, they weren't at the wedding. I'm sure it will go fine. You and Hannah have created a beautiful life together and Rita's kids will be happy to see that."

_"But will they see it that way? Hannah joining the family was the start of a new beginning for Harrison. A new mother and soon a baby sister. Are Astor and Cody going to be as accepting of the additions to the family when I haven't asked them to be a part of it until now?"_

"Give my love to Deb when you see her. Make sure you tell her that all of us at Miami Metro miss her."

Dex gave a weak smile and proceeded to nod in agreement. He didn't know what else to say as his co-worker was speaking about his sister. The sister he had not been in contact with since she had crashed his wedding reception completely plastered. Sure he had reached out to her since, especially after Quinn's suicide, but every attempt to contact her had been rebuffed. She wanted nothing to do with him or his new life with Hannah, and he was having to accept that.

* * *

Debra breathed in deep filling her nostrils with white powder. She let out a sigh, closing her eyes as she felt the rush of cocaine immediately take effect. She loved it. Since the first time Nick had introduced her to it, she could not get enough of the high. The mix of coke and Xanax would be what she needed to appear to be functioning with everyday life.

"Are you going to leave some for me?" Porter asked with a sly smile as he watched his girlfriend take another bump.

His words caused Deb to chuckle as she turned to face him. Her arms she draped around his neck before their mouths came crashing together. Passionate kisses led to Nick lifting her off her feet and setting her on the edge of his office desk.

Partaking in their recreational drugs while at the office was a thrill that both of them loved to indulge in. There was nothing more exciting than the idea of a secretary entering unannounced at any minute that drove their reckless behavior. Truth was, all of the staff members were on Nicholas' payroll and they all knew not to enter his office without knocking first.

"What do you want to do today, baby?" He asked in between kisses that began to travel down her neck.

"I don't know, we could just hang out here and fuck in your office." She muttered, wrapping her long legs around his waist which caused him to moan.

"Mm, sounds tempting, but we should at least try and get some work done." He whispered back, resting his forehead to hers.

Deb brought her hands to the side of her face and tucked her hair behind her ears. She had abandoned her job at Miami Metro immediately after Joey's suicide. Porter was more than happy to put her on his payroll as a private investigator. There was no way she could ever go back there when everything at Miami Metro reminded her of Quinn and her brother.

Dexter. He was the cause of all of it. What she had done for him in that shipping container had forever changed her in a way that made her undeserving of Joey Quinn's love for her. Because she had loved him, she tried to push him away, but all it did was push him over the edge. Another death on her conscience and where was her brother? He wasn't there for her. Hell, she didn't want him to be. Nick Porter was her saving grace. A knight donned in Emporio Armani who provided her with not just a loving embrace, but enough pills and white powder to make it all better.

"What about your surveillance on Dexter?" She asked.

"I told you before. I lifted it since it led to absolutely nothing. There's only a few places he goes outside of work and home: Miami Metro, his kid's preschool, the Starlight Lanes bowling alley, and his boat marina. The guy leads a pretty boring life."

"Or maybe he fucking knew that someone was tailing him. Dexter is smart. He's evaded being caught for this long. He even had Lundy fooled for Christ sakes." Debra pointed out as her voice trailed off when she mentioned Special Agent Lundy's name.

"Well, I'm sorry, but we don't have any evidence on him to back up what you've told me. It would be your word against his if you tried to make a move against him now. I'm lucky I was able to keep Batista in the dark about finding out what happened to Laguerta. As we both know, you're not innocent in all of this either." Nick responded back with an eyebrow raise.

"All because of Dexter."

* * *

It was the start of a new day of preschool at the Our Lady of the Gulf as the parents and children began to arrive at the three-four year olds' classroom. A trio of mothers were participating in their normal ritual of huddling up together and gossiping about the other moms before kissing their kids goodbye for the day.

"So you saw the invitations? Are you going?" One of the mother's asked in a hushed voice to the group.

"I'm taking Johnny. He gets along well with Harrison. Besides, the father, Dexter, works for Miami Metro, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but did you hear what happened to his first wife, Harrison's mother? She was killed by that Trinity serial killer. And the new wife, Hannah, she was arrested for murder and even escaped the county jail only to be found innocent."

"Are you serious, Jill? How do you know that?"

"Do you watch the news or read a newspaper, Christine? If you did you would know this too."

"I doubt that that is true about the Morgans. Johnny has been over to their house twice now for a play date and nothing seemed at all out of the norm. Hannah was so nice and hospitable. I bought two beautiful orchids from her nursery. And you know she's due any day now."

"I've heard Harrison call her 'mommy'. Can you imagine? I'd be rolling over in my grave if I died and my husband's new wife was my daughter's new 'mommy'." Elizabeth added, chiming into the conversation.

"Hannah told me that she adopted Harrison not long after she married his father. If you ask me, I say it was sweet. She's probably the only mother that little boy has ever known. You all should take the time to talk to Hannah. She's so far removed from all these rumors that Jill's talking about." voiced Christine.

"You never know what skeletons are in a person's closet." Jill quickly replied before clucking her tongue.

"Shh, she's here." Elizabeth whispered as a warning.

The group of women immediately fell silent when they saw Hannah Morgan and her son enter the room. Little Harrison was holding his adoptive mother's hand while carrying his lunch bag in the other.

"Go put your lunch and book bag in your cubby." Hannah instructed as she lovingly brushed back his hair with her hand.

Harrison quickly ran to do what he was told while his mom followed behind after him so that she could sign him in.

"Hi, Hannah! You look so cute today in those overalls! Doesn't she, ladies?" Jill piped with a fake sweetness to her voice and a wide smile. Two of the mothers simply nodded in agreement before one actually spoke up.

"Oh my gosh, yes, I wish I looked that radiant when I was nine months pregnant. You go, girl. You really should join us on Wednesday mornings for pilates once the baby's born." Elizabeth added.

Mrs. Morgan had been stopped dead in her tracks by the other mothers' greetings. She grinned, bringing a hand to her extended abdomen before she spoke back to them.

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind. Are all of you planning on coming for Harrison's birthday party tomorrow? He passed out the invitations in class. I just wanted to get a final head count."

All three of the women nodded and then confirmed that they would be bringing their children to the party. Hannah was trying her best to appear like a normal happily married woman with a young son and a child on the way. It was all she wanted after all of life's circumstances that she had to deal with in the past. There had been so much she had done in order to survive. Killing had been surrendering to nature's way, subtracting those who got in the way of her living her life how she wanted. But now, much to her delight, life seemed to only be adding: a new husband, new son, new baby, and new friends.

"So, big birthday party tomorrow, huh?"

The sound of a male voice prompted Hannah and the other mothers to turn their attention to the man who was standing behind Mrs. Morgan. He looked to be in his mid-forties as evidenced by his salt and peppered dark brown stubble facial hair that covered his tan skin, and creases around his brown eyes. He was dressed casually in cargo shorts and a worn t-shirt. Hannah couldn't help but think that he looked like an aged frat boy that had never left that phase of his life behind him.

"Yes, that's right.." Hannah reluctantly replied trying to figure out who this guy was and how he knew about her son's party.

"Oh, sorry, I don't think I ever introduced myself. I'm Albert Hollister, Jay's dad. Our boys are friends from class and they played soccer together this past summer."

"Oh, hi, I'm Hannah Morgan, nice to meet you." She responded back with a polite handshake which he gladly accepted.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly when she noticed that he was reluctant to let go of her hand, which was still in his. Albert must have seen the look on her face as he quickly released it and flashed her a sheepish grin.

"Well, um, count Jay and me in for the party. My wife is working the weekend so she won't be there."

"Okay, great. See you tomorrow afternoon, nice meeting you."

After quickly putting an end to the conversation, Hannah signed in Harrison at the nearby computer before seeking him out at one of the activity tables to say goodbye. She let out a slight wince when she bent over to speak to him.

"I'm going to go, okay? Have a great day at school, sweetheart."

Harrison turned and nodded with a smile. He then reached his arms up to wrap them around his adoptive mother's neck.

"I love you." She whispered, hugging him back.

"Love you too, Mommy." He said back before letting go of her so that he could resume playing.

Upon returning to an upright position, Mrs. Morgan let out a small moan, placing her right hand on her lower back in an attempt to ease the pain. She then retreated back to where her mini-van was parked at the curb in front of the school. Before she was able to walk around to the driver side door, Albert called after her to wait up.

"Hey, ah, do you maybe want to grab a coffee with me?"

Hannah narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. This was awkward. She didn't know what this guy's deal was and why he was now asking her out to coffee. He claimed he was married, yet he didn't wear a wedding band. And here she was, nine months pregnant, with her wedding rings on a chain around her neck because her fingers were too swollen to wear them. She was hardly in any condition to be being hit on.

"I don't drink coffee because I'm pregnant-"

"Oh, right, well how about a nice big breakfast since you are, after all, eating for two?" He immediately asked back, not giving her time to decline his invitation.

"I actual don't have the time. I need to get to the flower mart and then I have a prenatal appointment after. My husband, Dexter, is going to pick up Harrison." Hannah explained, making a point to bring up Dex, hoping it would send the message that she was married and uninterested.

"You have a flower business, don't you?"

Mrs. Morgan's eyebrows raised before she pointed to the side of her minivan where here business emblem was displayed.

"Hannah-Flora Nursery, that's right. You know, I'm actually a freelance writer and photographer. The Miami Herald has been wanting me to do a local small business piece for their next edition. I think yours would be perfect. Maybe I could come by sometime, interview you and snap some pictures while our boys play. How's that sound?"

Hannah's eyes shifted away from his gaze. Her arms folded in front of her over her extended stomach. Not only was this guy persistent, but he wasn't without use. A write up in the Miami Herald could provide Hannah-Flora Nursery with some well needed positive publicity after her brush with Miami Metro earlier in the year. She'd be willing to take Hollister up on his offer just as long as he knew that that was all he was going to do for her.

"Well Harrison's party is in our backyard tomorrow where my greenhouse is so you'll be able to get all the pictures you want. Listen, I really need to go, nice meeting you." She replied quickly before walking to the other side of her minivan so that she could finally be on her way.

"See ya." Albert called back raising a hand while his eyes remained fixed on her until she departed.

* * *

Dexter sat in front of his lab station's computer. His fingertips moved swiftly over the keyboard as he put the finishing touches on his blood report of the Griffin's suicide. Big brother Brian appeared next to him and looked at the screen.

_Brian: "Suicide...what a depressing way to end it. And to think it's how Miami remembers me, the notorious Ice Truck Killer, thanks to you."_

_"Would you rather be rotting in prison on death row?"_

His brother didn't reply, but simply watched as Morgan clicked the print button on the finished document and moved away from the computer to collect the printed copy. Moser turned his attention to some of his brother's blood spatter reports that were stacked on his lab table. He began to flip through the graphic crime scene photos like they were his own sick cartoon flip-book.

_Brian: "Honestly, Dexter, how do you work a nine to five job that surrounds you with other killers' works of art without the need to create your own? When is the last time you broke out your kill tools?"_

_"I've been busy, you know that."_

Dex's reply caused Brian to roll his eyes and let out a sigh. He then noticed the family photo of Dexter with his wife and son taken at the beach.

_Brian : "Yeah, busy playing house with Hannah instead of playing the big bad Bay Harbor Butcher."_

Morgan placed his latest blood spatter report in the Miami Metro case folder and set it on the completed stack of files. He was determined to stay on task at work so that he could leave at a decent hour to pick up his son from preschool.

_"Now's not the right time. The baby is due in a week or so, Harrison's birthday party is tomorrow, and I have to pick up Astor and Cody from Orlando tonight so they can be there. Their grandfather is sick and can't make the drive."_

Moser leaned up against the wall of the lab and folded his arms after listening to his little brother list off the numerous things that were now on his plate. Dexter let out a long sigh and slumped down onto his lab stool, before his imaginary brother replied back to him:

_Brian: "Listen to how stressed you sound. This is all the more reason for you to take some time for yourself and your need to kill. How can you expect to be a good husband and father if you ignore your urges?"_

The sound of the door opening to his lab caused Morgan's imaginary conversation with his brother to cease. It was Captain Tom Matthews who was making his way into the small lab with a wrapped gift in his hand.

"Dexter, I hope I'm not interrupting your work. I just wanted to drop off my birthday gift for Harrison. It's a toy model of the Miami Metro squad car. I had no idea what little kids are into these days."

"I'm sure he'll like it. You know we're having a party for him tomorrow around noon. You're more than welcome to stop by." Dexter offered as he watched him set the present down on the table.

"I would, but I already had plans to take my boat out for the weekend. Now that I'm out of retirement as the interim Captain of the homicide division, I take my relaxing weekends when I can get them."

"Yeah, I understand completely. Thanks for dropping off a gift." Morgan chuckled. His left thumb was playing with his wedding band, twirling it around his finger. Tom noticed and decided to inquire about the missus.

"How's Hannah holding up? Did she pop that kid out yet?"

"No not yet, we still have a week until her due date."

"Well, it will be here before you know it. Be sure to wish Harrison a happy birthday from me. Oh, and if you see your sister, tell her I said hello and that I'm always here for her, not just if she wants her old job back on the force."

Dexter gave a nod to show that he understood what Tom was telling him. He had no words to say in return. Morgan was certain that his adoptive sister would not be attending her nephew's birthday party tomorrow. Perhaps it was for the best as having Deb and Hannah at the same get-together would just be asking for drama to occur. Little Harrison deserved a happy birthday with his family and that's what Dexter and Hannah were going to give him.

* * *

Hannah was home in time to stay with Harrison while Dex made the drive to Orlando to pick up his former stepchildren. She was expecting her husband to return any minute. Dinner preparation had already been underway as she figured the two teenage kids would be ready to have dinner as soon as they arrived. Dexter had not told her much about Rita's children other than they went to live with their father's parents after the death of their mother. While Hannah was cooking in the kitchen, Harrison was playing on the floor in the living room with his train set. It was the sound of the front door opening that beckoned the child's attention away from his toys.

"Hey Harrison, look who came to visit you for your birthday. It's your brother and sister, Astor and Cody." Dex called out to his son.

Both Astor and Cody Bennett were slow to follow their stepfather into the new home. Their eyes were busy scanning the surroundings. Finally, their eyes settled on their younger sibling who had not moved from where he sat on the floor.

"Hi Harrison." Astor said with a smile as she ventured across the room to greet her youngest brother.

The soon to be four year old gave a small wave. He seemed a bit reserved as his sister reached down to give him a hug. This wasn't at all lost on Astor as she in turn looked over at Dexter before commenting on the obvious:

"He's not even excited to see us."

Morgan let out a sigh. He started to rack his brain for an acceptable reply that would assure Astor that her little brother had not forgotten her in the year it had been since the kids had visited Miami. Just as he was about to throw out a lame joke to give some levity to the current situation, he saw Hannah enter the living room.

"Hi guys..." She said aloud with a kind, welcoming smile.

Astor and Cody's eyes scanned the very pregnant blonde woman standing before them. It was Cody who said hi back to her and returned a metal smile showing off his braces. The thirteen year old thought she was very pretty, even for being very pregnant. Astor, on the other hand, wasn't at all impressed. She folded her arms in front of her before opening her mouth:

"So you must be Dexter's _new_ wife..."

Hannah's eyes darted over to her husband. She was looking for him to introduce her to them. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before he finally stepped up to the plate.

"Yes, this is Hannah. She's amazing, and is taking really good care of us." Morgan explained as his eyes remained fixated on his love.

"Yeah, she _clearly_ is." Astor retorted widening her eyes as the focused on Hannah's extended abdomen.

"Oh, I get it.." snickered Cody as he felt cool for getting the sexual innuendo that his fifteen year old sister put out there. He plopped down on the sofa and pulled out his cell phone.

Hannah cleared her throat prompting Dexter to interject. "We're expecting the baby in the next week or so. Harrison's going to have a little sister."

"Great, a replacement sibling to go with a replacement mother." Astor retorted with fake enthusiasm.

"Um, so dinner 's ready. Are you guys hungry?" Mrs. Morgan inquired, trying to change the subject.

"I'm starving." Cody immediately replied, not taking his eyes off the screen of his smart phone as he played flappy bird.

"Whatever..." muttered Astor as she picked up one of Harrison's toy trains and began to fiddle with it. Dex let out a sigh and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Great, let's eat." Dexter announced in a seemingly up beat voice.

Dinner wasn't any less awkward. Every attempt Dexter made at small talk with Astor fell flat when she replied with one word answers. Cody, like always, was the easier going of the two and had no trouble filling him in on what he'd been up to in between big bites of food.

"God, Cody, could you stop shoveling food in your mouth for more than two seconds?" Astor complained.

"I'm hungry and it's good!"

"Thank you, Cody." Hannah chimed in with a smile before she took a sip of her glass of water.

"Don't take that as a compliment, he'll eat anything that you put in front of him." Astor added looking in her direction with a scowl.

"Well, I think it tastes good." Dexter added, in giving his wife a smile that she returned before taking a bite of food.

The fifteen year old exhaled as she pushed around the food on her plate with her fork. Unlike her brother, she had not taken a single bite.

"Are you not hungry, Astor?" Hannah asked setting her own fork down.

Pushing the plate away from her, she responded. "I'm a vegetarian. I can't eat this."

"Since when?" Morgan asked back immediately, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Since now, don't act like you know me, Dexter. You haven't seen us in a year."

"You're such a liar! You eat burgers all the time when you go out with Chad! You just don't want to eat her food!" Cody shouted out, calling his sister out on her lie. His words were met with a swift kick under the table from his sister that caused him to wince.

Dexter zoned in on the mention of a boy's name. "Who's Chad?"

The young teenage girl was becoming very frustrated with her stepfather. "He's no one."

"He's her boyfriend. He's eighteen." Cody blurted out.

"Shut up!" Astor screeched punching her brother in the arm.

"Does Grandma and Grandpa know about him? He's a lot older than you." inquired Dexter with a scowl on his face that Hannah took notice before replying to him.

"I don't know how they couldn't with Cody living under the same roof." Hannah chuckled before she wiped Harrison's face with a napkin.

"They don't like him, okay! Now can we drop it?"

Astor pulled out her phone in an attempt to distract herself from the conversation she was not comfortable having. Harrison, who had just been taking everything in, decided to speak up in the small lull that had followed Astor's insistence to drop the topic of discussion.

"I want some more." Harrison demanded as he held his empty cup toward Hannah.

"I'll get you some more chocolate milk when you take a few more bites of your chicken." Hannah compromised, taking the plastic cup from the child and sat it at the twelve o'clock position in front of his dish causing him to whine.

"But Mommy, I want mooorrreee."

Harrison's use of the word "mommy" immediately caught the attention of Astor who looked away from her phone. Her eyes first focused on her youngest sibling and Hannah before they shot over to Dexter.

"Did he seriously just call her ' _mommy_ '?"

"Astor..." Dex breathed, not knowing how he could possibly finish the sentence to keep her from flying off the handle.

"How can you let him call her his mom? She's NOT his mother!

Astor's outburst prompted Harrison to bring his finger to his lips and mutter what he learned in preschool: "Shh, use your quiet voice."

The young child's comment only fueled the fire of the teenager's angst. She immediately lashed out, moving to get into his face. The three year old's eyes widened with fear as his older sister scolded him.

"Harrison, she's not your mommy! Rita Morgan is your mommy and she's-"

As if on instinct, Hannah interjected like a fierce mother bear who was trying to protect her cub. "Stop it, don't you dare get in his face! You're scaring him!"

Harrison was scared. His arms were outstretched to his new mother, which prompted her to lift him into her arms. He buried his face into her chest as Astor continued on her tirade.

"Oh my God, why are you pretending to be his mom? Just because you married Dexter doesn't mean you get to replace my mom in Harrison's life!"

"I'm not pretending, Astor. I am legally his mother now. I adopted Harrison only a few months after I married his father." Hannah replied in a much calmer voice as she rose to her feet with Harrison perched on her hip.

Mrs. Morgan's admission caused the heated exchange to finally cease. Both Astor and Cody were shocked. Their mouths were gaped open as both pairs of eyes widened. Was Hannah really telling the truth, had their stepfather allowed her to legally adopt their little brother in the wake of their mother's death?

It was Cody who finally spoke, asking his stepfather directly. "Is that true, Dexter?"

Dex inhaled sharply and held his breath. His wife had left the dining area with his son. It was now just him and his stepchildren who were waiting for his response.

"Yes..." He muttered in his exhale.

"How could you do that to Mom?" questioned Astor. She left the house the way she came before Morgan could even come up with a response. A few seconds later, Cody followed his sister's lead and did the same leaving Dex alone at the dining table.

_"Well, that didn't exactly go well."_

Brother Brian appeared seated next to him examining the cutting knife that was left on a plate.

_Brian: "A kill sounds pretty good right about now, doesn't it, little brother?"_

_"It does...As soon as I take care of my responsibilities here, I'll find that special someone to put on my table."_

_Brian: "Why wait until then? Tonight can be the night. Let Hannah take care of the kids, she's more than capable."_

Brian placed the knife in his brother's hand. Dexter gripped the handle. It felt good holding it as his mind flooded with images of some of his most savory kills causing a smirk to form on his face. It was when he remembered that his step kids had just walked out on him that his enthusiasm for a kill began to wane. Slowly, he released his grip on the knife leaving it next to his plate. He got to his feet and went to find Astor and Cody.

Dexter didn't have to go far as the two teenagers were sitting on the curb right in front of the house. As he approached him, neither one acknowledged his presence while they sat there silently staring off into the distance.

"I let her adopt him so that if something happens to me she would have custody of him. Unlike you guys, Harrison doesn't have any memory of ever having a mother. Since Hannah came into our lives, he's been able to have that. It's what I want for him. I hope you both can accept that." Morgan explained, trying to encapsulate his reasons for the adoption in a few sentences.

Astor and Cody said nothing in return. Dexter didn't know what else to say to smooth over things with them. He let out a sigh, and then made one last comment that didn't pertain to the subject. "Hannah made up an inflatable mattress in the baby's nursery. It's a queen size so you two can share it."

Dex left them sitting there as he had nothing else he could think to say. He figured that they would come back into the house eventually and they did. Astor laid on the inflatable bed while she text Chad how shitty her time in Miami had been thus far, and how she was going to have to share a bed with her little brother: gross. Cody changed for bed in the bathroom. On his way back to the baby's nursery, he was drawn to his brother's room where he heard Hannah's voice. He peeked in the doorway and saw her lying on the edge of the bed, next to his brother who was tucked into his bed. She was reading Harrison his 'Wee Monkeys' book, while he was making a hot wheels car roll across the curve of her pregnant tummy.

The minute she finished the last page of the book and turned to place it on the bedside table, Harrison had a request for her. "Sing me the song, Mommy."

She smiled upon his request for her to sing the lullaby that her mother used to sing to her when she was a little girl. It was one of her only happy memories from childhood. She remembered every word and loved the idea of passing it down to her and Dexter's children. "Slumber, my darling, mother is here. Guarding your dreams from all terror and fear."

Harrison grinned happily as he then moved to cuddle closer to her. He closed his eyes as she continued singing to him softly. "Sunlight has passed and twilight has gone. Slumber, my darling, and the night's coming on."

As Cody stood there silently watching them, he felt a sense of sadness overwhelm him. Witnessing the mother-son moment between his brother and new mother made Cody think back to when Rita would tuck him in at night. He missed his mother. He could still remember the way she smelled and the sound of her voice. Harrison didn't have any of those memories of Rita. Mom would want him to have those same happy memories. As quiet as he had arrived at the doorway, Cody moved on to join his sister in the baby's room.

* * *

Harrison's 4th birthday party was in full swing by noon of the following day. A dozen young children and their parents populated the garden. Despite the numerous rumors surrounding the Morgans, there was a high turnout for the party. Dexter stood nearby with his hands in his pockets as he watched Hannah and Jamie orchestrate the hitting of the piñata without a blindfold.

_"A birthday party is where we encourage our children to attack their beloved cartoon character with a bat and then reward them with candy. It's somewhat barbaric; one by one each child tries his best to bust it open. And finally, a perfectly placed blow tears it apart, freeing its contents to the ground; candy, instead of blood and sinew. What a treat."_

Morgan noticed Astor sitting away from everyone. She was focused on her cell phone as her thumbs rapidly moved across the screen. He made his way over to her.

"Don't you want to try your hand at breaking the piñata? Cody's over there helping out." He asked, giving her a small nudge which prompted her to look up at him.

"I'll pass. These little brats are so loud and annoying and I have a headache."

"Hannah and Jamie wanted to go all out for Harrison's birthday party. We even hired a magician to come. He should be here soon."

"Kill me now..." She responded with an eye roll. "You can leave now..."

Dexter seemed caught off guard by the dismissal he had just received by the fifteen year old who clearly cared more about texting on her phone than visiting with her youngest brother on his birthday. Astor Bennett was different now. Morgan struggled to understand and navigate around the whole teenage angst routine. He longed for a simpler time when Astor would have loved to join in on the birthday fun.

Albert Hollister was in attendance as promised. He had arrived with his son at the same time as others and had evaded the attention of the Morgans. Albert was purposefully keeping a low profile as he sat in a chair that gave him a perfect vantage point to capture pictures of the radiant Mrs. Morgan with his expensive camera. She was the reason he was spending his Saturday with his kid at a birthday party. As Hannah bent down to tend to her son, he flicked a switch causing his camera to rattle off several shots in sequence. Any onlookers would surely believe that he was taking photos of his kid.

After the piñata activity was carried out, the kids dispersed to play freely amid the garden while Hannah stood and chatted with a few of the mothers. She was pleased to be involved in their conversation. They swapped little antidotes about their children, and to Hannah's delight, she could contribute fully. Her eyes caught sight of Harrison playing with two of the other children. Her attention began to shift to him as she noticed where it was he was playing; her aconite patch.

"Harrison!" She called out with the sound of concern in her voice. She pushed passed some of the parents to make her way over to the four year olds who were playing with their toys amongst the aconite. "What did I say about playing over here? All of you need to come out of this area."

"But we were playing."

Hannah grasped hold of his wrist to make him stand up. She then lifted him off his feet and onto her hip so that she could take him inside to wash his hands off. She really needed to put a small fence up to keep him from wondering in there again. It had been on her to-do list for sometime among everything else she had to do before the new baby was born.

The other mothers looked worried by Mrs. Morgan's reaction to the children playing in an area of her garden."What is it, Hannah? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I forgot that I had put some dangerous pesticides down in that area right there. I'm going to get his hands washed." Hannah answered back without missing a beat.

Her mention of dangerous pesticides sent the two other mothers scrambling for their hand sanitizer and wipes. Hannah scrubbed the soap suds thoroughly on every inch of the child's hand while she stood over the sink in the kitchen.

"How long do we have to wash them for?"

"Until they are completely clean."

"They are clean."

"Here, rinse them off." She instructed. When the four year old finished doing so, she helped him dry his hands before setting him down on his feet.

Albert Hollister walked into the kitchen with his son, Jay, standing in front of him. He was smiling wide in Hannah's direction before he spoke. "Hey, it looks like there's a magician show about to start outside. Harrison, why don't you and Jay get front row seats."

"Yeah!" Harrison exclaimed with excitement. He and Jay ran out of the kitchen together toward the double doors to the back yard.

With the children gone, it was just Hannah and Albert left in the kitchen. He wasted no time in speaking up. "So how about you show me that green house. I came prepared."

Hollister held up his camera that was hanging around his neck. Mrs. Morgan gave a slight nod before leading the way out to her green house. Dexter hadn't noticed Hollister following his wife as he was distracted with convening the kids for the magician's act that was about to start.

"Wow, so you grew all of this from nothing?" Albert asked, snapping a few photographs of the plant life that adorned the greenhouse.

"Most of it. I inherited the business from my mentor when she passed about two years ago. I continued to run it exactly how she did."

Albert's eyebrows raised before settling his brown eyes on the pregnant hostess of the party. Hannah could feel his eyes on her. She swept a blonde lock of hair away from her face before folding her arms.

"What else do you want to know? The variety of plants I sell? The number of events around Miami I do a month?"

Albert wet his lips with his tongue as his eyes focused on her pregnant belly. "How far along are you?"

Her eyes narrowed and for a moment she didn't know what he was asking. It was when it dawned on her that the question was of a personal nature instead of a professional one that she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "That's a kind random question. I'm in my last month."

Albert closed some of the space between them. "I know it came out of nowhere, but I just had to ask. I think you are the most gorgeous pregnant woman that I've ever seen. You're like glowing right now."

Hannah gave a forced chuckle before moving away from him. She stood at her work bench and began to fiddle with one of her plants, peeling away some of its dried leaves. "Please, I'm retaining water, there's nothing gorgeous about that. So what else do you want to know about the nursery, because if you're done, I want to be getting back to the party."

"Hannah, you're underestimating your beauty and power." Albert explained as he slowly approached her from behind. "You're like the essence of Mother Nature, not just growing all of these plants, but also a living being inside of you."

Dexter had been sitting with his son as he mindlessly watched the magic show. It was when he noticed Albert Hollister and his wife in the greenhouse that he snapped into focus. The guy was much too close to her. His mouth was by her ear as he was whispering something to her that made her eyes widen.

_"Who the hell is that with Hannah?"_

Immediately, Dexter could feel all of his muscles tense as he stiffened. He let out a staggered breath. A rage began to build within him as he then saw the guy put his hands on the sides of Hannah's womb causing her to move away from him. Morgan slid his son off of his lap so that he could stand. He began to hightail it toward the greenhouse. Morgan was seeing red. He wanted nothing more than to slice that guy's throat open with one of his knives. Dex was doing everything he could to keep himself composed.

"What's going on in here?" He growled in a low voice as he stared down the unknown male who was in the greenhouse with his wife.

"Nothing, buddy. I'm Albert Hollister, and I was just interviewing Hannah about her business. I'm doing a write-up about it for the Miami Herald. You must be Dexter?" Albert inquired, extending a hand toward Morgan.

Dex didn't accept his request for a handshake. His eyes were still burning a hole through him."I am...Hannah's husband and the father of her unborn child."

"Well, you're a very lucky man." Hollister commented, shifting his focus over to Hannah who had moved to stand by her husband.

"No, you're lucky...lucky that I don't break your face into a million pieces for touching my wife."

Morgan's heated response compelled Hannah to intervene. She placed a hand on his chest in an attempt to calm him down. "Dexter, don't. It's Harrison's birthday and all of his classmates and parents are out there."

"Hey pal, you need to relax. Look, I'm married myself. I was just trying to do her a favor by advertising her business."

"I'm not your buddy or your pal and she doesn't need any favors from you. Stay away from her." Dex responded, moving past his wife's hand so that he could go toe to toe with Hollister.

Albert let out a chuckle. He scratched his stubble beard with his hand. "It really bothers you that another guy is taking in your wife's beauty, doesn't it?"

_"What really bothers me is that I can't kill you right now because a dozen children and their parents would witness it."_

Morgan took deep breaths through his nose in an attempt to keep his anger in check. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. It was Hannah who stepped forward to diffuse the situation. She knew that if she didn't speak up then her husband would be tempted to put Hollister on his kill table. "Albert, you need to leave."

"Right, I'm sorry if I caused any problems for you, Hannah."

Dexter's focus remained fixed on him as he departed. He watched intently as Albert removed Jay from the group of children watching the magic show. Brian appeared next to his brother, he too was watching them leave.

_Brian: "That's my baby brother. I know what you're thinking and I love it."_

"Dex..." Hannah voiced. She touched the side of his face, which brought him out of his trance as he slowly turned to look at her. "He's the father of one of Harrison's classmates. He's no one."

He let out a sigh and gave her a single nod before their foreheads met gently.

_"Hannah's right. Albert Hollister is just a run of the mill asshole who had the nerve to make a pass at a pregnant woman at her child's birthday party in front of her husband. He doesn't meet the code."_

Moser was still there in the greenhouse, ready to object to the moral objection that Harry Morgan had habituated Dexter to think. Brian provided his brother with what he knew his brother wanted to hear.

_Brian: "You don't need Harry's code anymore, Dexter. You have your own code. Think about it."_ Moser brought his finger to the side of his own head. _"Think about how satisfying it would be to make him pay for attempting to take what is yours."_

"We should get back to the party." Dexter muttered before giving his wife a peck on the lips.

The rest of the party was uneventful. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to Harrison, the cake was devoured, and the gifts were opened. When dusk had come, all that was left to do was clean up the backyard that was finally peaceful and quiet. Hannah noticed Astor standing alone inside of her greenhouse.

"Is she okay? She hasn't said more than two words to me the whole day."

Dexter shrugged looking out at his stepdaughter. "I've given up trying to reach her. I'm at a loss when it comes to teenage girls."

"I'm going to try and talk to her."

"Good luck." Dex muttered under his breath as he watched his wife move toward her greenhouse.

When Mrs. Morgan entered the nursery, she saw that Astor was examining one of her flowers. She slowly approached the teenager and then spoke aloud when she was beside her. "That's a Cattleya Orchid. It's also called a corsage orchid, because women used to wear them in the olden days to special events."

"It's pretty..."

"You can have that one if you want."

Astor folded her arms, her eyes darted away from the plant. "Is this you trying to get me to like you?"

"Would that be so bad?"

The fifteen year old shrugged her shoulders before she looked down at the mulch floor. "No.."

"Astor, I..I don't want you to think that I want to take your mother's place-"

"You're not. Harrison would have to remember my mom for you to be taking her place, and he doesn't. Cody told me that he saw you with Harrison last night. He could tell that you really loved our little brother, and he said it made him miss our mom. At least Harrison gets to have a family."

Tears were forming in Astor's eyes that she quickly wiped away before they could stream down her face. She fought hard to keep her composure. The last thing she wanted to do was show her vulnerability to Dexter's new wife.

"It's okay if you miss your mom too, you know. I made a lot of mistakes when I was young and it took its toll on my own mother." Hannah explained making mention of her dark past.

Her self-disclosure peeked Astor's interest causing her to want to know more. "What did you do? You couldn't work it out with her?"

"I had planned on making things right, but she died before I was able to. My dad didn't even tell me until after they had the funeral." Hannah revealed, a hint of anger was exposed when she made mention of Clint McKay. "My point is that missing your mom isn't something you should fight against. You have to just surrender to nature's way. We're born, we live, and then we die. Life adds and subtracts."

The tears began to flow freely from Astor's eyes as she stood there for a moment, reflecting on Hannah's words. She sucked back her congestion before revealing her thoughts. "I miss her every day. I hate that she's gone. I wouldn't be living in a shitty town outside of Orlando with my grandparents if she were here."

"Well, when you're old enough you can strike out on your own, go anywhere you want to go."

"Who says I have to wait that long? Chad and I talk all the time about how great it would be just to take off in the middle of the night and never look back. At least then I'd be free from my grandparents' bullshit rules. Cody likes it there, but I can't stand it."

Hannah's lips parted. She drew in a sharp breath as she studied the young woman's face. She couldn't help but see a fifteen year old version of herself in Astor. The strong desire to run away and be free. Fifteen year old Hannah had thought that her older boyfriend, Wayne, would whisk her away to a better life far away from Clopton, Alabama. How wrong she had been. And while Hannah didn't think that Astor was going on a killing spree with her boyfriend, she was still holding fast to the same fantasy of a new life.

"Running away isn't the answer..."

Astor scoffed and rolled her eyes before wiping her tears away. "Please, like you know anything about it..."

"Actually, I do. I was your age when I ran away with an older guy that I had a crush on. I was willing to do whatever it took to get out of the shitty Alabama town I was living in. I didn't get very far before I found myself in juvie. It wasn't until then that I realized what a mistake I had made."

"I don't know if I can wait until I'm eighteen to leave." Astor muttered, gently touching the petals of the orchid in front of her.

Hannah swept a blonde strand of hair from her face with a small swing of her head. "You know, some of the most beautiful flowers are the ones that can survive the harshest conditions and still grow strong."

Astor was quiet. Hannah's words still hung in the air. She then moved to reach into her back pocket, revealing a lighter and a joint.

"Mind taking that outside? If I were you I'd take it away from the house. I doubt Dexter would be okay with you getting high."

She returned the contents back to her back pocket before she grabbed hold of the potted orchid and looked over at Mrs. Morgan.

"So I can have this?"

A smile formed on Hannah's face as she simply nodded. In turn, Astor returned a smile of her own. Perhaps this was a sign Astor was beginning to accept Hannah being in the life of her little brother and stepfather.

* * *

The weekend drew to a close as did Astor and Cody's visit to Miami. The Morgans were left to fall back into their daily routine with the new week ahead of them. Dex had survived the family weekend and now he owed himself a little recreational time. Morgan was the first one up that Monday morning before the break of dawn. He was using the quiet time to scan over potential candidates for his kill table.

_"So many choices, yet not a single one peeks my interest. The one person I have on my mind isn't in the criminal database."_

Dexter pulled up his Miami Metro information database and began to type as he spoke the name aloud.

_"Albert Hollister."_

His finger tapped the enter key revealing all of the recorded information that the state of Florida had on him. Harry Morgan appeared behind where his son was seated. He bent down to examine what Dex was reading.

_"Albert Michael Hollister, born July 7th 1969, resident of Miami Florida. Married Michelle in 2009 and had first and only child, Jay Alexander, that same year. His wife is a regional executive at Goldman Sachs and he is listed as a freelance writer and photographer. He's essentially living off of his wife's salary. What kind of a man does that?"_

_Harry: "He may be lacking in decency and self-respect, but that doesn't mean that he fits the code. This guy has no criminal record whatsoever, not even as much as a parking ticket. There's no way you can justify even considering putting him on your table."_

Dexter let out a long sigh. He sat back in his desk chair. He brought one of his fingers to the side of his forehead as he spoke with a voice full of contempt.

_"You should have seen the way he was looking at Hannah and how he touched her. I wanted to kill him right then and there. The last thing on my mind was the code, I just wanted to tear him apart."_

_Harry: "Jealousy is a human emotion, Dexter. You love your wife and you can't stand the thought of another man being with her. That's normal. But you're different, because you have an urge to act on your emotion, and that's dangerous. His son goes to school with Harrison. If he turns up dead then you know that you and Hannah will be pulled into that investigation."_

_"Unless he just disappears; no body, means no murder."_

* * *

When it was time for Harrison to go to school, it was Dexter who took him on his way into work. There was no early morning crime scene so Morgan had no problem pulling daddy duty so that Hannah could have some time to herself.

Upon entering the classroom, Dexter stood by his son as he put his things away in his cubby. He was keeping his eyes on the door the entire time, waiting for a specific person to walk through it. And then it happened; Albert entered the room with his son. Jay ran to the cubby area while Hollister remained at the classroom entrance, scanning the sea of mothers with his eyes.

_"He's looking for Hannah. Just the mere sight of him gives me the overwhelming urge to rip his throat out with my bare hands. It would be deeply satisfying."_

Hollister's lips parted when he noticed Dexter standing across the room. Morgan's focus remained on him, shooting an icy stare in his direction that caused Albert to begin to back up. Dex took a step forward. He saw this and quickly retreated from the classroom without even saying goodbye to his son.

_"Albert doesn't want a confrontation. Perhaps he now knows that my wife is off limits to him. If only he knew who I am and what I do, then the conversation we had at the party would have been all he needed to back off."_

* * *

Monday morning was hitting hard for Debra. Nothing but a bump of coke and a cup of coffee could have gotten her out of bed and into the office to get some work done. The weekend was a blur as her and Nick had spent it shacked up in his penthouse. It wasn't until she glanced at the date on her IPhone that she realized that the weekend had past and so had her nephew's fourth birthday. She felt like an ass. But why? It wasn't like she could visit him. Well, possibly she could but that would entail subjecting herself to her sister-in-law. Debra couldn't stand the thought. Poor Harrison, being raised by two serial killers. She dreaded to think about what peril could befall him. Despite her frequent requests, Porter was not going to allow her to use his company time and resources to follow around her brother. Deb had every intention to track him on her own time, but her craving for her vices always seemed to get in the way.

Nicholas had made it a point to remind her that while they were having fun together, she was still on his payroll and had to provide some kind of income by having a caseload. Porter entered the doorway to Deb's office and peered over at her. She was sitting there at the desk with her head down. She must have taken a Xanax to bring herself down. He smirked and knocked on her open door causing her to jolt out of her sleep.

"What the fuck?" She muttered through her sleepy haze.

Nicholas laughed at her reaction. He loved her mouth in addition to her many other characteristics he found endearing. "Well, don't look too happy to be here, babe. I've got something for ya."

"Unless it's another cup of coffee or a white line then I could give two shits."

He presented a vanilla case folder and plopped it on her desk right in front of her before placing his hands in his pockets. "New client that I want you to take. Her name is Michelle Hollister. She is seeking our services because she believes that her husband is cheating on her. She's coming in to meet with you this afternoon."

"Really? You're giving me the cheating husband case? Don't you have anything less mundane like an apprehension of a perp with an outstanding warrant or something? Your company gets asked to do that, right?"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Handle this for me first and then I'll see what I can do. The husband's name is Albert. He's what his wife called, a "self proclaimed photographer and writer". Michelle said he barely has any income at all, she's the one who makes the living. She's willing to pay us a pretty penny to follow him. Questions?" Nick asked with a smirk as he sat on the edge of his girlfriend's desk.

"No, seems pretty cut and dry: freeloading fucker who's sticking his dick into everyone but his own wife. I got it."

Porter smiled wide. He then leaned in, bringing his face close to hers and then spoke again. "I fucking love you, you know that?"

"Fucking A, you do..." She muttered back before kissing his lips. "Love you too."

* * *

Dexter was working diligently in his lab. It was a slower day than usual as Batista only had a few DNA samples for him to process and run passed their criminal database. His lab work relaxed him, kept his mind clear of all things that were not blood spatter analysis. The sound of his cell phone ringing broke his concentration. He looked away from his microscope and glanced at it. 'Hannah calling' was displayed across his screen prompting him to answer it quickly.

"Hello?"

"Dex, can you talk?"

Morgan's eyes narrowed as it was unusual for his wife to be calling him in the middle of the day. Usually, if she wanted to tell him something, she would shoot him a text message. This was different and the sound of her voice pointed to that as well. "Yeah, of course, are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, but Albert randomly showed up at the house today."

Brian was standing by with his arms folded. He had a smirk on his face. Moser was appearing at the same time Hollister was putting himself back in his little brother's focus.

"He what?" Dexter shot back, getting to his feet.

"I had just gotten back from the flower mart and was in the greenhouse when out of nowhere he appeared. He had printed out photos and a little paragraph about the nursery, but that was just his excuse to be there."

"What did he say? Did he try and touch you again?"

"He tried to touch my stomach. Dex, he was telling me all this weird shit about how his wife wouldn't get pregnant again and how much he misses having sex with a pregnant woman. He really creeped me out, and you know that I don't scare easy."

_Brian: "So much for Hollister getting your message to back off. It's like he's begging for it, isn't it?"_

"Where is he now?" Dex asked, not letting his brother's words distract him from his conversation with his wife.

"I don't know. I told him to leave and he did. I was actually considering other options if he wasn't going to back down. There's something really off about him, Dex."

_Brian: "I love the way your wife thinks. He's a problem that she's willing to solve herself."_

"Just go in the house and lock the doors. I'm going to leave work early today."

"Okay.."

Morgan ended the call. He then immediately began to put away his lab equipment without bothering to finish processing the blood sample that he had been working on when he got the phone call.

_"Work can wait, but this can't. Hannah thinks that there is more to Albert Hollister than the information that the State of Florida has on him. I need to find out what it is."_

A quick search of the Miami Metro database yielded Albert Hollister's current address. With his satchel hanging from his shoulder, he exited his laboratory causing Masuka to glance over at him.

"Dude, where are you going?"

Vince's questioning caused Dexter to stop and turn back around to reply. "Hannah called and said that she's not feeling well."

"Shit, do you think she's going into labor?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm going to cut out early. Can you cover for me?"

"Yeah sure, no problem. Hey, how many centimeters is she dilated? You know, if you stick two finger up in her-"

"Thanks, Vince. Have a good one." Dex quickly shouted out as he began to walk away from Masuka before he was able to finish his perverted sentence.

Dexter plugged the address into his phone's GPS the moment he got into his Ford Escape. It was a short drive to the modern home that was located on the Miami shoreline. Mrs. Hollister was definitely making a decent living in order to afford the home that was right on the beach. Morgan parked his automobile further down the street before he exited, donning his black leather gloves. Without the cover of night, he needed to be especially careful. He peeked into the garage door window to see that no cars were parked inside.

_"An empty garage. No one's home. A perfect opportunity for a little sneak and peek."_

Morgan approached the side door of the house and immediately began to pick the lock with his tool kit. It was no time at all before he gained entry. He entered the house through the laundry room. He noticed the many pictures of Albert with his wife and son that adorned the hallways. Like Hannah, she was a pretty blonde. Dexter stopped for a moment, noticing what looked to be Hollister's study.

Morgan entered and immediately went right to the laptop that was sitting on the desk. He opened it and powered it on. Once at the desktop, Dexter pulled up the internet and attempted to view his website history. Big brother Brian appeared next to him to help him join in on the search.

_"It's completely cleared out. He was definitely looking at something he didn't want anyone to see. And look, not a single photo in any of his folders. Hard to believe for someone claiming to be a photographer"_

_Brian: "Unless all of his files are on an external drive. It makes sense if he wants them to be for his eyes only."_

_"Like a flash drive, it's small and he could keep it hidden anywhere."_

Dexter began to pull out the drawers of the desk while searching. There was no flash drive to be found there. It was Brian who walked over to the nearby studio table where all of Albert's camera equipment was kept that Morgan turned his attention there.

Dex began to go through the black camera bag, unzipping each one of the pockets and examining the contents. He came across a black plastic film canister. He popped open the lid and dispensed the flash drive into his hand.

_Brian: "And there it is. Let's see what Mr. Hollister is really up to, shall we?"_

Dexter wasted no time plugging the external drive into the USB port of the laptop. It took a moment to connect, but when it did the files popped up on the screen. There were ten file folders listed as women's names in alphabetical order. Dexter clicked into the first folder. There were what looked like candid photos of a pregnant woman. It looked like she did not know she was being photographed. As Dexter scrolled down he found other pictures that were of Hollister and the same woman on the beach together.

_"He stalks them and takes photos before seducing them."_

A video clip was at the very end of the file content's list. Dexter clicked it open and watched as it began to play.

_Brian: "How cliché, A video camera in what's obviously a sleazy motel room."_

Morgan stared at the amateur movie with a look of discontent on his face. The woman looked like she knew that the camera was filming them as she kept smiling over at it.

_"It looks conceptual. She seems to be a willing participant despite the fact that she was clearly very pregnant. It's probably someone else's child too."_

Dexter closed the video and then went on to explore the next file that contained the same type of pictures and video but with a different pregnant woman starring in them.

_Brian: "So he likes having sex with only pregnant women and he doesn't even kill them after? What's the point?"_

Moser seemed a bit disappointed with their findings as none of them included any type of brutality against any of Albert's pregnant ladies.

_"It's his fetish, what he gets off on. Hannah said that he told her that his wife refused to get pregnant again."_

_Brian: "Is there a 'Hannah' file on there?"_

Dexter held his breath for a moment before he went back to the file list and began to scroll through. Sure enough, at the bottom of the page, out of alphabetical order, was a file named after his wife. Dexter let out a long sigh before clicking on it. His mouth parted as he saw all kinds of candid photographs of his wife. Ones of her outside of the grocery store with Harrison, at the preschool, and even ones that were taken at the birthday party on Saturday.

_Brian: "All that's missing is the couple photos with her and the video. Looks like your wife is his next intended fuck buddy. She's certainly pregnant enough."_

Moser seemed to be snickering at the thought but Dex was far from laughing along. The idea that another man planned to attempt to persuade his pregnant wife into having sex with him so he could fulfill a sick, ritualistic fetish was enough to drive Dexter over the edge.

_"That would never happen, even if I didn't decide to intervene. Hannah's not like these women. She's married with a family."_

Morgan deleted his wife's folder and its contents from the flash drive before removing it from the laptop. He returned it to the place that Albert had hidden it.

_Brian: "Well it appears that he thinks she is just like all the other women. She's clearly his next target."_

_"And he just became mine."_

Dexter quickly snuck back out of the house. When he made his way back to his SUV, he saw that his father was there waiting for him.

_Harry: "He may have a disturbing secret lifestyle, but he still doesn't meet the code."_

He brushed passed his father and climbed into the driver seat of his Escape.

_"I don't care if he meets your code or not, because he meets mine. I know what he thinks he is planning to do with my wife, but he doesn't know what I plan to do to him."_

Harry grabbed hold of the door before his son could close it.

_Harry: "There is another way to stop him, Dexter. Why not let that flash drive fall into his wife's hands? You said yourself that she was his only means of support. Without her, he can no longer afford his lifestyle and make himself attractive to these women."_

_"I'm doing this my way, not yours."_

With that Dexter slammed his door shut. He started up the engine, and sped off without even so much as a backward glance to see if Harry was still standing there on the street.

* * *

Dex arrived home to find Hannah napping on the living room sofa. She awoke from her light slumber due to a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Hey." She whispered softly before wincing as she adjusted her position on the couch so that she could sit up and talk to him. "I'm sorry if I worried you by calling while you were at work-"

"No, you needed to call me. I'm going to deal with Albert."

Hannah's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she wet her lips before speaking. "Why do I get the feeling that he's going to be wrapped in plastic?" She giggled but quickly stopped when she saw that his serious face had remained unchanged. "What are you not telling me?"

There were a few moments of silence before Dexter finally opened his mouth to speak. "He's been stalking you. Taking photos of you for who knows how long. He's apparently turned on by women who are pregnant. He likes having sex with them."

Her face contorted into a look of disgust. "Oh my God, that's awful! How do you know that?"

Dexter took a seat next to his wife before responding back to her. "I searched his house and found a flash drive. He's done this with nine other women, if you can believe it. He builds a relationship with them and then sleeps with them. Women don't stay pregnant for more than nine months, so I guess he moves on to someone else."

"What women would want to have sex with him, especially while they are carrying someone else's baby? That is so sick!"

"He thinks that you're next..."

"Like hell I am!" Hannah retorted quickly as she struggled to get up from the sofa. Dexter had to grab hold of her hands and help lift her up to her feet. "So what's the plan? What do you need me to do?"

"I have a disposable cell phone. I want you to call him and say you want to meet him at that motel that you hid out in back in January. It's still abandoned, I was planning on using it as a kill site. You need to make him think that this is a secret rendezvous. Can you do that?"

Hannah smiled and nodded. "I can look up his cell number from the preschool parent directory. So we're going back to that motel, huh?"

"Not 'we', just me. I don't want you there, it's too dangerous." Morgan told her before he walked off to their bedroom.

She followed after him and stood by while he drug his black trunk out from his side of their closet. "Are you kidding me? You know I can take care of myself."

Morgan opened the trunk and removed the false bottom to reveal his kill supplies. "I know you can, but right now it's different. You're nine months pregnant, and if something went wrong I would be jeopardizing not just your life but our baby daughter's too."

Hannah touched his face with both of her hands and turned his face to look at her. He turned his body to face hers, bringing his hands to her pregnant belly. She continued to try and reason with him.

"It's not like he's a killer like us, Dex. I know you're just being a concerned husband and father, but I want to help you with this. He targeted me and he expects that I'll eventually have sex with him. I want to see him dead just as bad as you do." She whispered bringing her forehead to his.

Dexter let out a long sigh as he closed his eyes. "Fine...I'll call Jamie and ask her to pick up Harrison from school. He can stay at her place over night. We won't be moving the body until well after night fall."

Hannah smiled wide before giving him a searing kiss that he gladly accepted. The moment the kiss broke, she asked for the burner phone so she could make the call. There was much to be done.

* * *

Debra's BMW trailed behind Albert Hollister's SUV as she kept him in her sights. The meeting with Michelle about her husband had taken place and Deb had agreed to take the job of investigating his activities. She was starting her surveillance right away with the hope of catching some incriminating photos of him with a mistress that she could bring back to his wife before the week was over. Nick had promised her a better assignment when she completed this one.

"This is like watching fucking paint dry." She commented aloud to herself as her car came to a stop at a traffic light several cars behind Albert's.

She had started tailing him at his son's preschool when he picked him up around two o'clock just like his wife said he would. Deb had followed him home and had sat there for what felt like forever until his SUV pulled back out of his driveway.

Now they were on the road for a while. Miami city streets turned into highways. She could tell by her beemer's built-in GPS that he was leaving the Miami city limits. When he got off the highway, Debra extended the distance between them so that he would not get wise to her tailing him.

"What a fucking scumbag.." Deb muttered when she saw that he had parked his SUV in the parking lot of a shitty motel.

She parked on the side of the road that was a good deal of distance away from him. Grabbing the fancy camera that Porter had provided her with, she used it to zoom her focus on her target. He got out of his automobile and then went into the back of it to get what looked like his camera bag. Deb stayed on him, snapping pictures as he approached room four and knocked on the door.

"Fuck..." She whispered when she was unable to get any kind of a clear shot of the large blonde woman who answered the door. Debra was positioned too far away from the motel. It didn't matter as she would be waiting there to get even more photos when he was finished with his booty call.

* * *

Hannah had closed the door quickly after Albert had entered the motel room. "I'm glad you came."

She was wearing a cute little blue sundress that accentuated her pregnant figure and had Hollister licking his lips. He was quick to notice the plastic wrap that was covering everything in the room.

"What's up with all the plastic?"Albert asked with an eyebrow raise as he brought his hands to her pregnant belly and began to caress it. "Are you into some kinky shit?"

"Something like that..." Hannah muttered back. She could see her husband emerging from the bathroom in her peripheral field of vision.

Dexter was wearing his thermal green kill shirt complete with his cargo pants. In his hand was a ten inch knife instead of his usual m99 needle. It was a deviation from the plan as he had picked it up the moment he heard Albert's voice.

Hollister set his camera bag on the plastic covered floor, while not taking his eyes off of Hannah. "I know I'm going to enjoy this. I bet you're so warm and tight. And I bet those tits have some sweet colostrum just oozing out of them. How about a taste?"

It was Albert's words that caused Dexter to spring into action. Swiftly, he approached Hollister from behind and then spun him around, forcing him into the plastic covered motel room wall with the knife to his throat. Albert was in complete shock, as Morgan had come out of nowhere and was now holding a very large knife at his neck.

"I thought I told you to stay away from my wife." Dexter hissed in the low voice that he reserved only for his kills.

"Fuck man, s-she called me and asked me to meet her here! Th-that's it, I swear! Hannah! Hannah, tell him!"

"So that flash drive I found in your camera bag containing all of those videos of you having sex with all of those pregnant women...it just so happens that my wife had her own file on it? A file that contained over twenty pictures that were taken when you were stalking her!"

"How-how could you possibly know about that?" asked Albert before he winced feeling Morgan placing some pressure on the knife blade against his skin. "I-I didn't mean her any harm. I-I just wanted to fuck her once, that's all. I was going to leave her alone after that."

Hannah had her arms folded as she was standing by, watching her husband interrogating his intended victim. Albert's confession elicited a response from her. "What could have made you think that I'd ever fuck you?"

Mrs. Morgan moved to be closer to where Dexter had Hollister pinned up against the wall. She placed her hand on her husband's back before she spoke again. "I called and asked you to meet me here so that my husband could kill you while I watched."

"Wh-what?" Albert asked in a hushed breath as he seemed quite shocked that Hannah was involved.

"Unlike Dexter, I don't actually enjoy the act, but I'm going to take great pleasure in watching him do what he loves." She whispered, her face close to Albert's while she spoke.

Dex was breathing heavy. The adrenaline was building up in his body as he was anticipating the rush of the impending kill. His excitement was only being heightened due to Hannah's presence. It was like she was toying with Hollister, and it was turning Dexter on.

Morgan's brown eyes drifted from his prey to his wife. She could feel his eyes on her and she turned to be captured in his gaze. And then their mouths came crashing together in a sexually charged, uninhibited kiss. Albert decided that this would be his only shot at escaping Dexter's restraint and he pushed back with all of his might, causing both Dexter and Hannah to lose their bearings and fall to the floor. But the Bay Harbor Butcher snapped into action the second after he hit the floor. He got to his feet with his knife still in his hand as Albert attempted to run to the door.

Dexter pounced on him just before he could open it. He plunged the blade into Albert's lower back, causing him to double over in pain. Dexter pulled out his knife and gave him a hard nudge with his foot, causing him to fall to the floor. Hollister's eyes were wide with terror as he tried to crawl away from Dexter who was looming over him.

"Get up..." Morgan growled, as he watched his victim place a hand on the white plastic sheet covering the wall in an attempt to get to his feet.

Morgan moved in, pulling him to his feet before he jammed the blade into his gut as hard as he could. Albert's mouth gaped open as he looked down at his stomach. Dex pulled the knife back out and then quickly thrust it in again, this time on the other side causing Hollister to whimper weakly. When Dexter removed the blade and stepped back, his victim slumped to his knees, clutching his gut that was now bleeding profusely. Morgan stared on in contempt for a few seconds before he finally stepped forward and delivered him death, slicing his throat wide open. A gushing tide wave of red came spewing out onto the white plastic floor.

It was Hannah's shrill voice calling his name that brought Dexter's focus back to her. He turned and saw that she was bracing herself on the plastic covered dresser. She panted, breathing heavy before she managed let out her words in a breathless whisper:

"I think I'm in labor..."


	10. Episode 10: Blind Side

"It's going to be okay."

Dexter was doing his best to keep Hannah calm. His focus quickly darted back and forth between his pregnant wife and the highway in front of him. She was trying her best to take slow breaths in and out, but would frequently let out a painful moan when a contraction ripped through her body.

_"My words of reassurance are for my own benefit as well as my wife's. A complete deviation from my ritual has knocked me off balance, sending me reeling as I try desperately to regain my bearings. A quick change of clothing was all time warranted. The kill room and Hollister's body left untouched. It's not what I wanted, but the alternative was risking Hannah having the baby right there in the blood soaked motel room."_

Mrs. Morgan gave a grimace of pain. Not only was she severely uncomfortable given her current state, but she was also worried. Her baby girl was not due for another week, and she feared that possible complications could arise during her birth. Hannah gasped, her eyes widening when she felt a warm trickle escape her body.

"Dexter, I think my water just broke! "

Her shrill voice implored Morgan to push harder on the gas pedal. The minivan accelerated and Dexter navigated his way through traffic by constantly changing lanes. The only thing he needed to focus on was getting his wife to the hospital before she delivered.

Much to his displeasure upon arriving at Miami Central Hospital, Dexter was told to fill out a number of insurance forms while his wife was taken to the delivery room. Dexter was filling out the forms as fast as he could. He needed to get to Hannah. His mind was going a mile a minute, the adrenaline from the kill was still flowing through his veins as his hand scribbled information down with the pen. After what felt like an eternity to him, he had completed the necessary paperwork and was taken to his wife's delivery room.

"Dex..." Hannah muttered when she saw him, and then let out a painful cry.

Morgan hurried to his wife's side. His hand he brought to her face that was glistening with sweat and then leaned in to kiss her forehead."I'm here.."

Hannah's OBGYN was examining her to determine how the labor was progressing. "You're four centimeters dilated, Hannah. I know we talked about it and you said that your birthing plan did not include an epidural, but I just want you to know that the option is still there."

Mrs. Morgan shook her head adamantly. She had already made the decision that she wanted to give birth without any kind of drugs in her system. It was bad enough she had given herself aconite in the early weeks of her pregnancy in order to escape police custody. She wasn't about to drug her child for her own selfish reasons again. She would have daughter the way nature intended.

The next three hours were like torture, not just for Hannah whose contractions were steadily becoming more powerful and closer together, but for Dexter as well. He felt completely helpless at her side. He wanted to take action; do something, anything to make the pain stop. As her Lamaze partner, he did his best to replicate what he had learned in the classes they had attended. One of his hands was lovingly brushing her damp blonde hair in an attempt to comfort her, while the other she held in hers.

Hannah squeezed his hand with all her might. Her body tensed as an overwhelmingly painful contraction shot through her like a hot wire of electricity. She gritted her teeth and rode through it with the breathing technique that Dexter was modeling for her.

The doctor checked her progress before she spoke aloud over Hannah's loud moans of discomfort. "You're fully dilated. I want you to start pushing when you feel pressure."

Dexter watched as the doctor and nurses prepared the room for his wife's delivery. Hannah was instructed to sit up and move closer to the edge of the hospital bed. He stayed right by her side, their hands still clasped together. She began the process of pushing with her chin touching her chest.

_"This is it. Mere moments away from seeing Hannah bring our child into the world. The irony; two hours ago I was witnessing a death by my own hand, and now, seeing a birth of a new life that I had a hand in creating."_

Everyone was rallying around Hannah. She would take deep breaths before pushing as hard as she could. The doctor gave a ten count aloud, before she gasped for more air and continued pushing again. The cycle continued until Hannah let out a piercing scream. She felt a sharp, burning pain that she hadn't experienced before.

The obstetrician shouted over Mrs. Morgan's scream. "Hannah, stop pushing! The baby is crowning! Her head is visible! Just breath, and let your body do the rest of the work!"

Dexter's eyes were wide, his lips parted as he watched the doctor help guide his newborn daughter while the contractions slowly caused the rest of the baby's body to emerge from Hannah.

When the baby was completely out and in the doctor's arms, Hannah fell back into her pillow and tried to catch her breath as her baby took her first. The first strong cry of her and Dexter's daughter rang out in the delivery room.

"Here she is, a beautiful baby girl. Does the daddy want to cut the cord?" The doctor inquired prompting one of the nurses to hold out a pair of surgical scissors to Morgan.

Seemingly speechless, Dexter gave a nod before accepting them without the slightest bit of hesitation. Unlike when Harrison was born, he was wanting to be as much as an active participant as possible instead of simply watching from the bedside like he was completely clueless.

As soon as the newborn was free from her mother, she was taken to the other side of the room so that she could be evaluated and monitored. Much to the Morgans' relief, she was declared a healthy newborn despite the fact that she was born a week before her due date.

One of the nurses began filling out the baby's birth certificate. "What's this little one's name?"

Dexter and Hannah both exchanged smiles before he said the name that they chose for their baby girl aloud: "Lily Anne Morgan."

Baby Lily was swaddled in a blanket before being brought to her awaiting parents. Hannah's eyes were filled with tears of joy when she took her baby daughter into her arms for the first time. Lily Anne already favored her mother with her fine blonde hair. "Isn't she perfect?"

Dexter took his daughter's tiny hand and smiled wide when she held onto his finger. "She is...perfect..."

The Morgans shared a tender kiss, and then brought their foreheads together. Dexter heard himself whisper to his wife. "I love you."

Hannah gave a content sigh before returning the sentiment. She glanced down at her baby before looking back at him. "Do you want to hold your daughter?"

Dexter's eyebrows raised before he moved to take her into his arms. He was cautious, making sure that he supported her head and body just like he had done with Harrison when he was a newborn. His mouth parted slightly as he sucked in a breath of air, his eyes widening; the reality of the moment was sinking in.

_"Here I am, a new father again. A new little being that I am responsible for. I can breathe a little easier now. Hannah and the baby are safe, freeing me to do what I have to do. A kill room and a dead body beckon me. The sooner I deal with it, the sooner I can be back to my wife and baby daughter."_

Lily Anne began to cry prompting Morgan to give her back to Hannah who was ready to try and get her to nurse. When she had done so successfully, she and her husband exchanged a look. She too had not forgotten about what they had left behind in that motel room. "Hurry back to us."

Morgan gave a nod before giving his wife and newborn a quick kiss goodbye. He took note of the fact that dusk was beginning to approach. Nightfall was imminent and it would be time to move the body. It wouldn't take him more than an hour to dismember it. He had put his electric saw and trash bags in the stow and go compartment of Hannah's minivan.

It was when Dexter entered the vehicle that he realized he had left his cell phone in the cup holder. It was flashing with an alert from Miami Metro. He sat there for a moment, the cell phone in his hand.

_"An alert from Miami Metro can only mean that there is a crime scene. I'm ignoring it. I need to stay focused and clean up the mess that Hannah and I left. Her going into labor will be the perfect excuse for me not responding."_

When he was back on the road, Dex made a call to Jamie to inform her of the birth of the baby. She seemed quite surprised and perfectly willing to stay with Harrison overnight. It was when Morgan turned onto the motel's back road that he immediately told his nanny that he needed to go.

Slowly he brought the minivan to a stop as he peered at what looked like a road block. Judging by the police cruisers, Dexter could tell that they were local law enforcement who had sectioned off the highway. Had there been an accident? His lips parted as his breathing became rapid. One of the officers noticed the minivan stopped and proceeded to approach it.

"Road's closed off. The detour is a few miles back the way you came." The county officer told him the moment Dex rolled down his window.

"What's going on?" Dex asked back instinctively.

"Crime scene at the old motel half a mile up the road."

Hearing the word "crime scene" sent Dexter's mind reeling. The reality of the situation was hitting hard and fast. He swallowed hard, doing his best to appear unshaken by the news.

_"My kill room. Someone stumbled upon it and called it in. The plastic sheets, the kill tools, Albert's body, it's all still there; an intact crime scene, MY crime scene. I've left my kills for Miami Metro to find before, but never like this; Soaked in blood, exposed to the eyes of officers who will want to bring a murderer to justice."_

Dexter grabbed his phone and opened the alert from Miami Metro. His sucked in a breath of air when he read the motel address as the scene he was being called to. Despite the motel being outside of Miami, it was a homicide, which required MMPD to take the case.

"Sir?"

The local officer's voice brought Morgan back to where he was. The reality of the situation was that he was merely a half a mile from where his homicide team was investigating his kill and a cop was staring him right in the face. He needed to get out of there. His alibi for not being at the scene was the birth of his child so the hospital was where he needed to be.

"Have a good day, officer." He muttered before rolling up his window and proceeding to retreat back the way he came.

* * *

Porter's attention was immediately drawn to the entrance of his penthouse. The elevator doors opened revealing his girlfriend on the other side. The sight of Debra caused Nick to leave his leather sofa and stand to meet her. "Jesus, Deb, what the hell happened? I could barely understand you when you called. Are you okay?"

His questions hung in the air and remained unanswered. Deb was not okay. Her breathing was erratic while she tried hard to maintain her composure. She feared that if she attempted to speak and tell her boyfriend what she had witnessed, she would fall to pieces.

A look of confusion had set in on Nick's face while he watched her place his camera bag and her purse on his nearby desk. He moved toward her. "Deb, talk to me. What's gotten you so upset? I thought you were following Hollister."

"He's fucking dead." She managed to mutter, tugging on her face with both of her hands.

"What? How the hell did that happen? Did he get into a car accident or-"

"It's fucking Hannah...she poisons everyone."

"She poisoned Hollister?"

"No, she is poisoning Dexter. She fucking used him to relive her killing with Wayne Randall."

Porter narrowed his eyes and ran his hand through his styled hair. He was a bit lost while trying to understand the conclusion his girlfriend had drawn. "I'm struggling to connect the dots here, babe. What am I missing?"

Nick looked on as Morgan began to rummage through her purse. She let out a few of her favorite obscenities before finally dumping the bag's contents out on the desk. She grabbed hold of her bottle of Xanax and popped four pills into her mouth. Debra took a long sigh after she crunched the pills up with her teeth and swallowed. Taking a seat on the edge of the desk, she then began to account for the events that had transpired:

"I followed Albert to a motel and snapped pictures of him going into one of the rooms. Less than an hour later, I saw my brother and Hannah coming out of that same room. I fucking froze, couldn't believe what I was seeing. I didn't get a single God damn shot of them with my camera. It wasn't until after they left that I went into the room. I found Albert Hollister full of fucking knife holes."

"Shit.." Nick commented in an exhale, "And you think Hannah was responsible for it and not your brother? You said yourself that he's a killer."

Deb folded her arms and looked at the floor. She was hesitant about divulging to her boyfriend the extent of her father's involvement into the killer that Dexter was. It was bad enough that he already knew the lengths she had gone in order to protect him.

"My father taught Dexter a code to live by. He only targets other killers. Albert Hollister was a cheating asshole, but he didn't fit that code. He wasn't my brother's victim."

"But you said Hannah was a poisoner. Poisoning someone is a passive form of killing, pretty far removed from stabbing him to death. Are you sure that this was her handy work?"

Debra had gotten to her feet and began pacing back and forth as she spoke. She was spinning her murder theory like she had done so many times as a detective at Miami Metro:

"She did it when she was fifteen years old. It's how she killed with Wayne. She fucking admitted it on tape to Price before she poisoned him. Stabbing someone to death in a motel room, it's like a recreation of her first kill. The only difference is that she now has an accomplice who can help her get away with it. That's why the room was covered in fucking plastic."

Nicholas interjected with his observation. "You seem sure about this."

She ceased her stride and turned to look at him."I am...And that bitch thinks she's going to get away with it."

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to involve Miami Metro with this?"

"I called the crime scene in to the local police anonymously. With it being a homicide, it will fall under Miami Metro jurisdiction. "

"Why anonymous? Wouldn't that have been the perfect opportunity to tell them your theory about Hannah being behind Hollister's murder?" questioned Porter, pointing out what he thought was the logical direction that should have been taken when she had found the murder scene.

"To do that, I would have to sell out Dexter as her accomplice..." Debra let out a long sigh.

"Why did you call in the crime scene then?"

"Because it was the right thing to do...I couldn't ignore what happened, but I sure as shit wasn't going to subject myself to a barrage of questions that would come from finding the crime scene."

"You need to figure out what you want. You've told me that you want to take down your serial killer brother and yet you are holding back. It's like you still want to protect him."

Her lip quivered as she paused before continuing. " He's still my big brother. As much as I've said that I wanted to stop him from doing what he does, I just can't see myself being the one to turn him in. He's all I have left since I lost my dad."

Nick could sense her sadness. He placed a hand on her lower back and gently rubbed, hoping to sooth her. "You have me, you know."

Her face contorted in a look of despair, but she held it in. She inhaled a sharp breath and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, I know, I just miss the way it used to be, before Hannah fucking McKay."

A single tear emerged from her eye and cascaded down her face. The sight of her crying compelled Porter to offer his suggestion.

"There has to be someone you can go to with this."

* * *

Dexter quickly navigated his way through the hospital hallways. He came upon the private room where Hannah and the baby had settled into for the evening. Entering the doorway, he saw his wife holding their daughter while sitting upright in the bed. She was beaming with happiness, her mouth pulled taunt into a smile while a hand lovingly caressed her newborn's face.

It was when Morgan moved to approach that Hannah noticed his presence. She was surprised to see him return so quickly, but was riding a high of new motherhood bliss. "I cannot wait for Harrison to meet his new baby sister."

Dex let out a sigh. He sat down on the edge of the bed facing his love. His reaction caused Hannah's eyebrows to furrow. Something was amiss with him. "Dex, is everything okay? You weren't gone that long."

"No.." He breathed, "Someone found Albert."

"What?" Hannah immediately asked back with a look of disbelief. "How? Who even knew he was there? You said that the motel had been abandoned since we had been there last."

"It was, someone must have-"

His wife's blue eyes shifted their focus from him onto the nurse that had entered the room. Morgan took a cue from her gesture and immediately cut his sentence short. He turned to stare at the nurse who was walking toward them. His lips parted slightly as he contemplated asking her why she was there.

The nurse smiled politely before explaining the reason for her presence. "I'm sorry to interrupt the precious family time with your new little one, but I need to take her to the nursery for a few tests. I promise to bring her right back when I finish."

Hannah looked a little hesitant to hand her child over to the hospital staff. It took her a few seconds before she allowed the R.N. to take the baby. Dexter remained quiet until he and his wife were again alone in the room.

"I should have never left the body there. Harry would have insisted that I dismember it and stowed it somewhere until I was able to properly dispose of it." Dex pointed out in a voice that was full of frustration while his eyes were settled on the white tile floor.

"We didn't have that option. You saw how fast the labor was coming on."

His brown eyes snapped to her before he spoke back. "I should have never let you come. I let you put yourself in harm's way and because of that you went into early labor and interrupted my process."

"You know you needed me to lure him into the motel room. So the police found the body in a room covered in plastic. We stored the clothes we had been wearing in the mini-van. What could be in that room that says we were there?"

Dexter let out an exasperated sigh as he rose to his feet and paced back and forth before responding in anger.

"Anything, the smallest hair or fiber from one of us! A fingerprint from you since you weren't wearing gloves! If Masuka finds any of it, that will lead straight back to us! There's a body, a murder has taken place and they are going to be looking for a killer!"

"Okay, I'm sorry..." Hannah whispered in a soft voice that prompted Dexter to close his eyes for a moment and exhale.

"This is too close. Hollister was at our house last weekend. We have direct contact with the victim of a murder investigation, with that comes interviews, questions." muttered Morgan as he began hypothesizing about how things could potentially play out.

"He was one of a dozen parents who were at our son's birthday party. And it's going to be Miami Metro who will be asking the questions. They're not going to suspect us, you work for them." Hannah quickly replied sitting up straight in her hospital bed.

"Miami Metro will follow any lead. Any one of the half a dozen parents could report having seen Albert and I having words in your green house."

She let out a slight chuckle, not believing how far Dexter was taking his scenarios regarding Miami Metro knowing that they were involved. "Come on, Dex. No one heard what was said and it's not like anyone noticed that you got in his face-"

"You don't know that!" He hollered back with intensity that was fueled with anger and frustration.

Hannah fell quiet. Her blue eyes glazed over as they darted away from her husband's glare. There was a moment of silence between them before the sound of Dexter's cell phone ringing pierced the room. Without hesitation, Morgan removed the phone from his pants pocket and viewed the screen.

"It's Batista." He muttered aloud before answering the call, "Morgan."

"Dexter, didn't you get the department alert? We've got a crime scene just outside of Miami, it's a pretty brutal stabbing."

"Ah, sorry about that, Angel. Hannah just had our baby. I left early from work because she wasn't feeling well. The baby was coming so fast I didn't have time to call you guys."

"Socio, that's fantastic, congratulations! Look, I feel like a jerk now for asking, but do you think you can duck out of the hospital for a few hours just to work this crime scene? I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important. This place is a blood bath, there's no way Masuka can start bagging and tagging the scene until you tell us what the blood reveals."

Morgan let out a long sigh before his lips parted and he spoke, "I would, but the doctor has the baby under observation for the night since she was premature, something about possible fluid build-up in her lungs. I don't think I could live with myself if I left the hospital and something happened while I wasn't there. I'm sorry-"

"Say no more, don't worry about it. I'll make sure Masuka takes plenty of pictures of the body at the scene and then we'll move it to the morgue for further examination. I'll have patrol keep the scene under surveillance over night and we'll regroup first thing in the morning. You'll tell us what the blood says then, okay?"

"Thank you so much. I'll be there bright and early."

"Bueno, just focus on being a good husband and father tonight. Bye."

Dexter ended the call and slipped his cell phone back into his pants pocket.

_"I've bought myself some time. The crime scene sans Hollister will be waiting for me to tell its gory tale; the one that I know well being that I wrote it with the strokes of my blade. I need to ensure that I destroy any possible evidence that could lead back to me or my wife."_

* * *

Debra's car pulled into an empty space of the marina parking lot. With a twist of her wrist, she killed the engine and let her head fall back and hit the head rest. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. The four Xanax pills she had taken before making the drive out there had been to calm her nerves so that she could do what she needed to do. Unfortunately for her, it had made her a bit too relaxed and now she was fighting the urge to drift off to sleep.

"Fuck.." She muttered, forcing her eyes open.

Deb adjusted her posture and reached for her handbag that was sitting in the passenger seat. After searching through the contents of her bag, she removed the single thing that was going to bring her out of her haze and get her through the difficult task she was being faced with. A small white mound settled on the side of her hand and quickly disappeared up her nasal passage as she breathed in deep.

Debra let out a staggered exhale in the form of a sigh. The cocaine was like a shock to her system giving her the energy and courage to proceed on. Deb grabbed hold the manila envelope to take with her. Leaving her car, she followed the path to the dock. Her stride ceased when she reached the particular boat she was looking for that had "Ocean Master" written in gold letters on the stern. Without hesitation, she came aboard and knocked on the sliding doors of the illuminated cabin. Deb quickly brought her free hand up to her nose to wipe it, making sure there was no sign of her indulgence. Tom Matthews figure appearing on the other side of the glass caused her to nervously brush her hair behind her ear.

"Debra? Jesus, it's been a while. How the hell are you? What brings you over here this late?"

Before Deb could reply, Tom had pulled her into a hug. She let her chin rest on his shoulder and then spoke: "I need to talk to you about something."

It was when the hug ended that Tom caught sight of her face. She looked anything but happy to see him. Her brown eyes glazed over like they were made of glass. In light of the exciting news he had just received from Dexter, he wondered what she needed to talk to him about that would be causing her such distress.

"I was about to congratulate you on the birth of your niece, but you've got a look on your face like your new puppy was blacktopped by a cement truck."

The mention of Hannah and her brother's child being born caught Debra off guard. She steadied herself in the door frame. "H-Hannah had the baby today?"

Matthews moved from the doorway to allow Morgan to enter the interior of the boat. "That's what Dexter said. He called me just a little while ago with the news. I was going to head over to the hospital sometime tomorrow."

The confirmation from Matthews sent Debra's mind racing. Hannah going into labor must have been what made them leave the scene without covering their tracks. She was going to need to establish a timeline of when her brother had checked Hannah into the hospital. Dexter was surely going to try and use the birth of his new child as an alibi for where they were at the time of the murder.

"Debra? Tell me what the hell is going on."

His voice had pierced her train of thought. Deb's lips quivered as she tried to figure out the best way to begin to tell him the secret she had been keeping about who her brother really was. "It's Dexter..."

Matthews shrugged, not sure what Debra was trying to get at. He waited a few seconds hoping that she would finish her thought.

"I've been covering for him so long, but now that Hannah's involved and innocent fucking people are dying, I don't think I can continue to do nothing." She whispered, on the verge of tears as she took a seat on the nearby sofa.

"Why would you need to cover for Dexter? What people are dying? God damn it, Debra, you need to level with me! I have no idea what you're talking about and I can't even try and help you until-"

"Dexter and Hannah are fucking serial killers! He's the Bay Harbor Butcher! I walked in on him killing Travis Marshall! I made Maria look like a lunatic and planted the evidence in that marina to make you think Doakes was the killer! I did it because he's my brother and I love him, but I'm responsible for everything that he's done, including helping Hannah McKay continue to kill!"

Matthews eyes were wide. His mouth hung open in utter shock at what Deb Morgan had just told him in what sounded like one big run on sentence that was muffled with Debra's sobbing.

"Do you have any idea how crazy you sound right now? It's bad enough you left the force, but now you want to ruin the Morgan family reputation as well? Well I won't have it! Your old man would be rolling over in his grave to hear you talk like this. Why would you come to me with such a crazy accusation against your own brother and his wife? What possible shred of evidence do you even have to back up a claim like this?"

Him asking for some proof was enough for Debra to regain her composure. She held out the envelope she had brought with her. Tom quickly snatched it from her grasp and opened it. A handful of printed pictures of Albert entering the motel room with a time stamp slide out into his hand.

"Am I suppose to know who the hell this is?" Matthews asked impatiently.

"That's Albert Hollister, the cheating husband I was being paid to follow. I saw him enter that motel room and then I saw both Dexter and Hannah leaving that same room not even an hour after. This guy is the victim in your murder case that was called in earlier tonight."

"Where's the picture showing the Morgans at the scene? The only thing you proved to me is that you were there around the time of the murder. If I were going by the book, I would haul your ass into the station and hold you for questioning."

"It's fucking Hannah that needs to be brought in! She stabbed Hollister to death in that motel room just like she killed with Wayne Randall when she was fifteen years old! Dexter is helping her get away with it! They need to be stopped!" Debra hollered getting to her feet and practically screaming in Tom Matthew's face.

Matthews reached out and grabbed hold of her arms, allowing the pictures to flutter to the floor. His grip on her tightened as he spoke sternly, "Will you get a hold of yourself? You don't have any evidence to prove what you're saying happened! Did it even happen, Debra, or did you hallucinate it on some coke laced acid trip? Look at you! You're a mess, your pupils are dilated, you're sweating!"

His inquisition caused Deb to pull away from him. Once she had broken free, she bolted for the door. Debra could hear him hollering for her to come back. She could hear him making pursuit of her as she reached the wooden dock, but as she hastened her stride, she was left with only the sound of her feet pounding on the parking lot pavement and her heart beating out of her chest.

She needed to get out of there. Matthews was of no good to her unless she had solid proof that it was her brother and his wife that had emerged from that motel room after committing murder. Without a smoking gun, Tom would only see her as the troubled pill popping coke head she had become. Her credibility had been tarnished and there was no coming back from it without that evidence.

* * *

Dexter had patiently waited until it was well into the night before venturing out to the motel. He parked at the curb where the police roadblock had been earlier in the evening. He then retrieved his small satchel and disposable gloves from the back of the van. Morgan knew that Batista's appointed officers were guarding the crime scene a mile down the road. It would not be as easy as walking through the front door of the motel room.

He snuck through the shadows, moving at a quick pace. Approaching the outskirts of the property, he settled behind a bush and surveyed the scene.

_"County cops. Batista knew better than to task Miami Metro officers with babysitting a crime scene for a night. One patrolling the front of the motel, the other asleep in the cruiser. I can slip around the back and climb into the room through the bathroom window."_

Morgan decided when the time was right to move again. His brown eyes remained focused on the cop that was standing guard. Dexter kept himself close to the wall the moment he reached the side of the building as a way to evade the moonlight. Around the back, he counted the narrow windows until he came to room number four. He presented a small crowbar from his bag and used it to shimmy the window. Once open, it was bit of a tight squeeze to fit himself through, but he managed. A small flashlight provided him with adequate illumination that would not raise suspicion from the outside. Dexter used it to guide himself from the bathroom into his kill room.

_"My plastic play land bathed in red is almost exactly as I left it. The only thing missing is my kill; A white taped outline says that Albert was there. My only regret was that I didn't have the pleasure of finishing my ritual; severing his flesh and bone piece by piece until he fit nicely into three hefty bags for his trip on the gulf stream. Sorry, Al."_

Brian appeared seated on the plastic covered bed. He was eyeing his little brother's handy work with a smile on his face. He let out a chuckle before speaking aloud:

_Brian: "So this is what you and the wife do for foreplay?"_

Morgan didn't seem at all phased by his imaginary older brother's joke and instead crouched down by the body outline.

_"No, Hollister was mine. I should never have let Hannah come with me. Her fingerprints are definitely here somewhere. She wasn't wearing gloves. Why the fuck didn't I make her wear gloves?"_

Moser rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh, which caused Dexter to stand up again.

_Brian: "Yeah, because Albert wouldn't have noticed her greeting him at the door wearing white latex over her hands. Come on , Dexter, would you let it go already? You're here to make sure that nothing can ever be traced back to you or Hannah so let's take care of this."_

Big brother Brian got to his feet and allowed his eyes to take a quick scan of the room. A moment later he presented a lighter from his pocket.

_Brian: "Why not set the place ablaze? If it burns to the ground there can be no evidence for them to collect."_

_"Not a good idea. Two police officers are right outside, you know that they will notice right away once a fire gets started. They'll be able to make a call out for the fire department in a matter of minutes."_

Dexter's eyes settled on the sprinkler head sticking out of the ceiling. His lips parted slightly as he realized that he might have just found a viable option. With the lighter in his hand, he stepped onto the bed. A steady flame appeared with the flick of his thumb and he introduced it to the metal sprinkler head. A few seconds later, water began to spray down into the room.

_Brian: "Very clever, baby brother. Those old sprinkler systems put in during the 70's have been known to malfunction."_

_"All the sprinklers are connected to one line. By tomorrow morning, this place will be flooded and any possible evidence will be destroyed. Let's get out of here."_

* * *

In the light of the early morning Florida sun, Dexter returned to the motel that was already swarming with Miami Metro personnel. Morgan walked with confidence; his camera around his neck while he carried his blood spatter analysis kit. A slight smirk formed on his face as he could hear the interim Captain, Tom Matthews, hollering from the doorway of room 4:

"What the hell happened? This room is completely drenched!"

Vince Masuka immediately threw out one of his usual inappropriate jokes: "Looks like a water pipe busted at the Bates Motel. Someone better tell, Norman. Huhuhuhuhuh."

When Masuka saw the look that Matthews was giving him as a result of his remark, he quickly stifled.

Lieutenant Batista was quick to answer his superior as he needed to smooth things over with an explanation: "The sprinkler system malfunctioned and flooded the place. Thank God the body was already moved to the morgue and Masuka got plenty of pictures when we arrived on the scene yesterday. We need to get this place drained and dried out."

"The crime scene should have been dismantled and analyzed last night. This is unacceptable, Batista. Because of your decision to put off the investigation, we can forget about salvaging any blood or finger print evidence from this scene."

Tom turned in Dex's direction the moment he noticed him approaching. Like the flick of a switch, Morgan contorted his face to a look of astonishment. He needed to sell his handy work and convince his co-workers that like them, he was viewing the flooded motel room for the first time. Dexter looked over at Batista and spoke:

"Wow, Angel, I'm so sorry. If I would have known there was a possibility of something like this happening, I would have found a way to get here last night."

Matthews narrowed his eyes at Dex. This was the first he was hearing that the reason the investigation had stalled on the case the night before was because of Dexter. He couldn't help but think back to what Debra had told him last night in her drug haze. "This crime scene was put on hold per your request?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I told you that Hannah had our baby last night. She wasn't due for another week and there were some complications. I didn't want to leave the hospital when there was a possibility of something happening to the baby."

Masuka who was standing by surveying the extent of the water damage on the room spoke up with the mention of the new baby: "Dude, does the baby have a name?"

"Yeah, it's Lily Anne Morgan."

"Beautiful name, socio."

"Lily Anne was Hannah's mother's name." Dexter added as he placed his kit down in what seemed like the least wet place he could find in the room.

Although Tom was happy for Dexter, he was insistent that Miami Metro stay on task. "Glad to hear that she's doing well. I'll try and come by and see her, possibly after you guys bring her home. But now we need to focus on going over this flooded mess with a fine tooth comb. See if there's anything we can salvage that will help us break this case."

Batista followed the Captain's wishes and began to go over the details of the case that they already had: "Just to bring you up to speed, Dex. We have an I.D. on the vic. The wallet in his back pocket says his name was Albert Michael Hollister of Miami, Florida. We contacted his wife and she will be in the station to make a statement tomorrow."

Masuka added in details he had obtained from his examination of the body: "Someone did a serious knife job on this guy. There were multiple stab wounds including a clean slice across his throat. We recovered a set of knives from the bathroom last night. Not one print on the set, but we were able to match the stab wounds with one of the blades. My guess the killer had a serious beef with this guy."

Sergeant Angie Miller's eyes scanned the red cloudy water that had seeped deep into the shagged carpeting of the room. She made a face of disapproval as she lifted her heeled shoes that were getting wet. "So it's possible that Hollister knew his killer? We should question his wife if he had any enemies. Did we get a alibi for where she was last night?"

"Nada, I didn't think it was right to ask too many questions when we just informed her about her husband's brutal death in a seedy motel. We plan on getting all that information when she comes in for questioning. She mentioned that she and her young son were going to stay with family for support. I can't blame here, it's got to be hard to lose your spouse." Angel explained.

Matthews folded his arms. His eyes kept being drawn to wet plastic that was adorning the walls and furniture in the room. It wasn't the normal scene of a crime. Someone had taken the time to prep this room. He decided to share his thoughts with his homicide team: "I think we're dealing with an experienced killer. Look at the way this room was prepared with plastic."

Batista looked around at all the plastic before commenting, "Very meticulous."

"Masuka, what kind of knife set was found? You're certain that no blood or prints were on them?" Tom asked.

"They were completely clean. Nice stainless steel knife kit in a black roll up pouch. It reminded me of the set that we found during the Bay Harbor Butcher case."

"The one with Doakes' prints on them, I remember." Matthews replied, his eyes shifted over to Dexter. There were a few seconds of silence before he spoke again, "What do you think Dexter?"

Morgan's eyebrows raised slightly and his mouth parted. He was caught a bit off guard by the fact that Matthews focus had switched over to him once the Bay Harbor Butcher was mentioned. He quickly came up with a response: "I agree, this kill was obviously premeditated. I doubt the killer was experienced as he left the body and the murder weapon at the scene. Why go through all the trouble of putting up plastic if he planned on leaving everything?"

"Unless he was interrupted." Tom replied, still staring at him with a discerning eye.

_"Why am I getting the feeling that Matthews knows more than anyone else in the room? Of all the days he picks to be the second coming of Special Agent Lundy, why did it have to be today?"_

Angie spoke up before Dex was able to, and also threw her own question into the mix."It's definitely possible. Dex, what do you think about the knives? What does that say about our killer?"

"The knife set could have come from anywhere. You'd be surprised what's being sold online these days. Other than the fact that Masuka was able to identify one of the them as the murder weapon, I don't think it's going to bring us any closer to finding out the killer's identity."

Matthews glanced at his watch before announcing his departure: "I've got to get back to the station. The press is going to want a statement about the case. You all better make damn sure that every bit of evidence is collected and cataloged. We've got to catch this killer. Dexter, I'll try and touch base with you before the end of the day. We need to talk."

Dex simply gave a nod as he studied the serious look on Captain Matthews face. Whatever he wanted to talk to him about in private had to be serious. He wondered if it had anything to do with this crime scene that would explain why Matthews had set off an alarm in Dexter's lizard brain.

The homicide team waited until Tom had left to begin talking among themselves again. Both Dexter and Masuka were doing their best to look for the smallest piece of evidence that had been missed. Morgan was drawn to the plastic covered dresser that his wife had been bracing herself on when she had gone into labor. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he brought his face closer to the plastic that was drenched in water. There, floating in one of the puddles of water, he spotted a blonde strained of hair; It had to be Hannah's. Without even thinking, he reached out and captured it between his gloved thumb and pointer finger. The moment he lifted it, he heard Masuka's voice ring out:

"You've got something? Fiber, hair? Give!"

Vince scurried over to where Dexter was with an evidence bag in hand. Morgan let out a sigh and allowed Masuka to bag the evidence.

"Dude, awesome, looks like we just landed ourselves some DNA that is definitely not the victims. Look at that follicle still attached. I could fucking french you right now."

"No thanks, but why don't you let me take this in to the station for you and get it analyzed for a DNA match. There's obviously no more blood here that I can work with."

"Sounds good to me, I'm up to my hairy ball sack in paperwork." Masuka allowed Dexter to take possession of the hair sample, "Let me know ASAP if we get any hits in the database."

With the evidence in hand, Dex made his way back over to his blood spatter kit.

"Will do, but do me a favor and cover for me the rest of the morning. I wanted to stop by the house and pick up Harrison so he can meet his new baby sister."

"Fine, but you owe me. I've got a keynote speech that I'm making next month for Forensics Quarterly. I will need to take off from work."

"Great, I have no problem covering for you."

Batista had witnessed the exchange between Morgan and Masuka and he made sure to express the importance of them yielding some results from the hair sample that had been found. Dex assured Angel that he would notify him if it turned up a lead.

When Dexter returned to his vehicle, he was met with his imaginary brother, Brian, who was sitting next to him in the passenger seat. Dex started the engine and immediately sped off. He was going to have to move quickly as Jamie was expecting him to relieve her after spending the entire night babysitting.

_Brian: "That was too close, little brother. If that Asian lab geek would have ran that strand of hair, then they would have known immediately that it was your wife's. She's in the criminal database after all."_

_"That's not going to happen. I'm going to make sure of that."_

_Brian: "How? You can't simply get rid of the hair and not leave anything in its place. Miami Metro is expecting results."_

_"So I'll give them results. All Masuka knows was that I collected a blonde strained of hair, he had no idea whose it is. Michelle Hollister's hair is the same color as Hannah's. I can get a strand from her and use it instead."_

_Brian: "Oh, I love it. That makes the wife the prime suspect. And we both know that she'd have motive to see her husband dead. The contents of Hollister's flash drive told us that."_

_"I just need to divert Miami Metro's attention elsewhere to keep my family safe. Batista mentioned that Albert's wife will be at the station tomorrow giving a statement. That gives me more than enough time to sneak back into that house to collect her hair."_

* * *

Debra had forced herself to replay her meeting with Matthews over and over again in her head. It was torturing her. Her late father's best friend was refusing to accept the truth.. The solace of a hot shower was doing little to help her forget that. There was no cleansing herself of the mistakes she had made in the past. She had hoped coming clean to Matthews would release her from the emotional bondage she was experiencing because of Dexter. Alas, it was her own demons that Matthews saw, and because of them, she no longer held the credibility as she once had.

The Xanax, the coke, the drinking; She was done with it all. What had provided Deb with her escape from reality had attributed to her losing herself. If she had any shot at stopping her brother and Hannah McKay, she needed to be the police detective she once was. And she needed to do it now, not just for herself, but for Harrison as well.

Nick approached the shower stall. Leaning up against the glass frame, he made his presence known: "You okay in there?"

A few seconds passed without a response causing him to call her name out. That was enough for her to come back to reality and answer back: "What?"

Porter could tell by the sound of her voice that she wasn't faring well. She had adamantly refused to discuss with him the details of her meeting with Tom Matthews. Deb didn't have to tell him anything. The look on her face when she had returned to his penthouse said it all.

"You've been in the shower for a while. I've got a line deployed for you. It'll take the edge off."

His words compelled Deb to shut off the shower. She could feel her body respond to the promise of a line of cocaine. She had to tell herself that it was an urge that she was not going to give into. She wasn't exactly sure how she was going to watch her boyfriend use, while she tried to abstain.

With a towel wrapped around her glistening body, she ventured to the master bedroom. Debra's eyes immediately focused on the white powder that Porter had mentioned. Instinctively she inhaled sharply through her nose, remembering the amazing rush she would feel every time she snorted.

"Ladies first?" Nicholas inquired.

Deb paused for a moment, her mouth gaped open as her automatic response would have been to take him up on his offer, but instead she slowly shook her head. "I can't anymore, Nick."

Porter could sense the sincerity in her voice. Without saying a word, he grabbed his tray of drugs and set it aside. He then held out his arms for her triggering Deb to start crying. She moved forward and allowed him to take her into his arms.

"Shh, It's okay. I'm here if you want to talk about it." He whispered, hugging her tight.

"Look at me, Nick. I'm a fucking drug addict and no one believes a word I say. I need evidence if I'm going to stop Dexter and Hannah, and I'm not going to get the evidence I need if I'm getting high all the time." Deb cried, her words were a bit muffled as she had her face buried into her boyfriend's shirt.

"You don't have to use, Deb. I'm sorry I introduced you to coke. I thought we were just having fun, I didn't know it effected your life so negatively."

Debra lifted her head to look at him. Tears were still cascading down her face as she tried her hardest to hold back her emotions as she spoke: "It's not your fault. I welcomed any drug that could take me out of this fucking hell I've been living in ever since I started doing terrible things to protect my brother."

Nicholas brought his face to hers, their foreheads touching as he whispered his response: "Baby, you don't have to protect him anymore. We're going to stop him and McKay. This nightmare will end for you, I promise."

"Nick, you're the one good thing in my life. I'd be so lost without you, I have no one else." She admitted in a strangled whisper before bringing her lips to his.

Their kiss was gentle, and when it ended he offered reassurance, "You have me and I'm not going anywhere. Our surveillance of your brother is back on, okay?"

Debra smiled and nodded her head. She then pulled him into another loving embrace. For only knowing Nicholas Porter for half a year, he had quickly became the man in her life that cared about her and what she was going through. All she had ever wanted growing up was Harry Morgan's love and attention. It was Dexter who received all of her father's focus. The adopted son with his dark urges trumped the daughter who wanted nothing more than to be just like her good ol' dad. If only Dad knew the monster he had a hand in creating. If only Harry knew that his adopted son would turn his back on his little sister for a life outside of the code with Hannah McKay.

* * *

Just as he had done before, Dexter cautiously made his way into the Hollister home through the side door. To his surprise, Harry was already in the kitchen waiting for him. His imaginary father was leaning with his back against the granite counter-top, his arms folded. He did not look pleased.

_Harry: "What are you doing here, Dexter? This is the second time you illegally entered the house of the man you killed. What if someone saw you? What if someone was home?"_

_"Batista mentioned at the crime scene that Michelle had taken her son to stay with family. I was careful sneaking in, no one saw me. Give me some credit, Dad."_

Dexter moved quickly through the downstairs and found the staircase leading to the second floor. Harry was following him the whole way to the Hollister's master bedroom. Dex approached the dresser where a hair brush was sitting. As Dexter removed an follicle-intact blonde strained of hair, Harry picked up a framed picture of the family.

_Harry: "You're really going through with this? Framing an innocent woman for one of your kills?"_

_"Do you have a better idea? The number one rule of your code was don't get caught. I need someone's hair to replace Hannah's. I need to keep her safe."_

_Harry: "The number one rule was about you not getting caught, Dexter, not Hannah. Have you stopped to think about why she insisted on being there in the kill room?"_

Dex placed the strained of hair into the evidence bag and sealed it:

_"She wanted to be there to support me, to share in witnessing my ritual, which is more than you ever did. The one time you saw my work it made you physically sick with disgust."_

_Harry: "Maybe it's time you realized that your wife isn't as innocent as she claims to be. She says she doesn't enjoy killing, yet she willingly put herself in the same position she was when she was fifteen: witnessing her lover murdering in a motel room. This was a kill that you would have never done if not for her."_

_"I never said Hannah was innocent, neither of us are. I'm the one that decided to kill Albert. ME! You're just upset because I have evolved and so has the code! It says I kill whomever I feel is a danger to the life that Hannah and I have created!"_

Dexter's aggressive outburst caused the conversation with Harry to cease. He needed to get back to the lab and run the hair sample. It was only a matter of time before Masuka and the rest of the Miami Metro Homicide team would be wanting the results.

* * *

When Dex arrived home, Jamie was there to greet him with a congratulatory hug. She then called for Harrison to let him know about his father's arrival. The four year old came running from his bedroom and right into his father's arms.

"Hey buddy, are you ready to go see Mommy at the hospital and meet your new baby sister?" Dex asked as he hugged his child tightly.

"Yeah!" Harrison exclaimed with excitement, holding his arms up in the air.

Jamie commented on the child's anticipation, "He's been asking when you were coming home to get him since he woke up this morning."

"Thanks for watching him overnight, Jamie. I know it was unexpected."

"It was no problem, I'm so glad I was able to be here for you guys. Besides, it gave me some time to visit with my favorite little man who I rarely get to see anymore."

After saying goodbye to Jamie, Dexter buckled Harrison into his Ford Escape and took off for Miami Central Hospital. The four year old must have asked twenty times when they were going to be there in the fifteen minutes it took them.

"No running, Harrison, wait for me." Dex called out when the child let go of his hand and ran down the hospital hallway with glee.

His son listened, stopping to wait for his dad to catch up and tell him which room his mother and sister were staying in.

The moment that Hannah saw her husband and son enter the room, she smiled and called out: "Hey Harrison, come meet your little sister!"

Harrison seemed a little surprised to see Hannah lying in a hospital bed. Having never have visited anyone in a hospital before, it was quite a new experience. He was a bit cautious as he then heard his half sibling cry out for the first time. Dex had to usher him to the bedside.

"Did everything go okay at work?" Hannah inquired with a hint of an eyebrow raise.

"All taken care of, we've got nothing to worry about." He replied with a nod.

"I can't see the baby." The child announced prompting his father to lift him off his feet.

Hannah moved back the pink blanket from her daughter's face so that her brother could get a good look at her. She then made the introductions: "Harrison, this is your little sister, Lily Anne. Lily, this is your big brother, Harrison, he's going to protect and love you always."

"Hi, Lily." The four year old said reaching down to touch his sibling's soft blonde hair. "She's so little. I wanna hold her."

Dexter looked a little unsure about his son's request, but Hannah was fine with it. She scooted over in bed to allow enough room for the four year old to sit beside her. Morgan watched as his wife carefully placed the newborn in their son's lap.

"Here, do what Mommy does and support her head and her body." She instructed before feeling the child's hands over hers.

The Morgans were beaming with happiness at the sight of their children bonding for the first time. Lily Anne was wide awake and gazing at her big brother who seemed equally as mesmerized by her. Gently, Harrison leaned forward and gave his sister a soft kiss on the cheek.

_"Harry's wrong. He wants to blame my decision to move away from his version of the code on Hannah wanting to be fully involved in my life. What he doesn't realize is that Hannah and I together are so much more than the number of lives we've taken. We're giving back to the world with our creation of this new beautifully innocent being."_

Dexter and Hannah exchanged a smile. He then moved in, giving his wife a tender kiss that she gladly accepted. When their kiss ended she spoke: "I am so happy right now, Dex. We finally have it all."

It wasn't long into the visit before Hannah and Lily were discharged from the hospital and able to go home. Harrison was overjoyed by the fact that his new little sister would be riding in the back of his father's Ford Escape with him in her infant seat. Dexter and Hannah could hear him talking nonstop to the baby during the car ride.

"Matthews is going to be coming over to see the baby." Dex informed his wife, glancing over at her for a moment before bringing his focus back to the road ahead.

"That's okay, isn't it?"

"Something's going on with him. He was acting strange at the crime scene and now he says he wants to talk to me."

"Are you sure that you're not just being paranoid? Tom's suspicion of you and the Bay Harbor Butcher case ended with the demise of Laguerta." She commented in a low voice resting her head on the seat headrest.

"I don't know. I've got to feel him out."

* * *

It was well into the day before Matthews stopped by the Morgan home to see the newborn. Dexter allowed his wife to greet Tom and let him in, while he hung back and observed.

"Hi Tom, how are you?" She asked with a smile, giving him a quick hug as soon as he entered the home.

"As good as any man would be coming out of retirement. The real question is how are you, new Mama? Congratulations, where's the little one?"

Matthews casually scanned his surroundings as he allowed Mrs. Morgan to lead him into the home.

"She's with her daddy here in the living room." Hannah replied taking a seat next to her husband who was holding their daughter in his arms.

"Wow, look at this little one. She's gonna be a little heart breaker. Good luck keeping the boys off her, Dexter." Tom commented with a chuckle as he peered down at the newborn.

Morgan played along, letting out a forced chuckle. There was a moment of awkward silence before Hannah spoke up: "Are you staying for dinner, Tom? Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, thank you. I can't stay long, I just wanted to stop by and meet the newest Morgan and have a chat with you and Dexter." Matthews explained taking a seat on the sofa adjacent to them. "Have you told your sister about the birth of her niece?"

Mention of Deb caused Dexter's eyebrows to raise slightly before shifting the baby in his arms, "No, Deb and I haven't really been in contact lately. There was a bit of a falling out after what happened at the wedding."

"I'm sorry to hear that. You should try and get in touch with her. I'm a bit concerned about her welfare. She could use some support from her family."

"Don't tell me you only came here to talk to me about Deb. She knows where I am. If she needs help she can reach out. I'd be there for her." Morgan replied, a little bit irritated by Matthews bringing up his estranged sister.

It looked like Tom was picking up on the fact that Dex wasn't thrilled with the topic at hand. He switched gears: "There was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about. You know that guy who was found dead in the motel room? His son goes to Our Lady of the Gulf school. Isn't that where you send Harrison?"

"Yes, that's Harrison's preschool." Hannah admitted quickly, acting like she had no idea what Tom was talking about. "It's possible we knew of him. Do you know the family name?"

"Hollister. The father's name was Albert Hollister."

"Oh, that's Jay's father. They both came to Harrison's birthday party. Albert is some kind of a writer or photographer. He was very interested in my flower business. He was suppose to do a write-up for us, but he never got back to me."

Morgan was in awe of his wife's ability to act completely innocent when questioned. Nothing in her demeanor or voice pointed to her knowing more than what she was telling Tom. Dex kept quiet and allowed his wife to do the talking.

"Well we found him stabbed to death in a motel room."

"Oh God, that's awful! Do you have any idea who could have killed him?"

"We found a single strand blonde hair at the scene, but it wasn't much to go on. Masuka said that we didn't get any hits when we ran it through our database. I'm going to wait to question his wife when she comes in to give a statement, see if she knows of any possible enemies her husband might have."

Dex nodded and then spoke up: "Sounds like a good way to move forward."

Matthews gave a sigh and shifted his position in the chair. "How did Albert Hollister seem to you two? From the information I gathered, he didn't sound like he was a faithful husband. Was there anything about him that would lead you to believe that someone might want him dead?"

"I really didn't know him at all. I saw him in passing when I would go to drop Harrison off at school." Hannah replied.

"Yet you invited him and his son to the birthday party and he was going to write an article about your business? That seems like a pretty friendly exchange for someone you didn't know at all." Tom answered back, his eyebrows furrowed.

Mrs. Morgan didn't miss a beat before she replied, "Harrison invited his whole class, including Jay Hollister. When his father RSVPed, he mentioned that he was writing an article for the Miami Herald that featured local small businesses. He offered to do a piece on my nursery. That's all."

Tom nodded his head showing that he was understanding what Hannah was telling him. He waited a moment before asking his final question: "So you guys were home last night when you went into labor?"

Dexter was the one to speak up first: "No, we had gone out to dinner, Jamie was watching Harrison. Hannah went into labor at the restaurant and we went straight to the hospital from there."

"Oh jeeze, nothing like going into labor to ruin a great evening out, huh?" Tom chuckled looking back and forth between Mr. and Mrs. Morgan. Dexter and Hannah did their best to play along and laughed with him.

"Where did you guys go out to eat? That new place at the pier?"

Dexter's mouth gaped, he let out a breath as he came up with a restaurant name that he could give in order to suffice Tom's round of questions: "No, Il Bistro Vino."

"Very nice, I haven't been there in a while." Tom replied before getting to his feet. "Well, thanks for letting me stop by and see the new addition. You will be at work tomorrow, correct?"

Dex gave a nod, "Yes, sir."

"Good, you two enjoy the rest of your evening. I'm heading back to the station to see if Masuka was able to glean any leads from what we took out of that motel room."

Both Dexter and Hannah arose from their seats to show out their guest. It wasn't until Matthews was out of the house that she was able to touch base with Dexter.

"What the hell was that? Was he just questioning us like we were suspects for Albert's murder?"

"It sure felt like that's what was going on. I told you that he was acting strange toward me at the crime scene too." Dex muttered handing the baby over to Hannah when she started fussing.

She began to nervously rock the baby in her arms. "Is there any way that he could know something? Something that maybe you said at the crime scene that would have tweaked him?"

Morgan brought his hands to his face and sighed once he sat down, "No, and nothing was left at the crime scene that could lead back to us. It's almost like someone is putting ideas in his head. He's never questioned me before, why now?"

"Deb?" piped Hannah, "He mentioned he was concerned about her."

"I don't know. None of it makes sense, there's something we're missing." He muttered as he started rocking back and forth nervously in his seat.

"We can't afford to not know about this, Dex. Our lives depend on it, our children's lives depend on it." Hannah admitted, bringing her newborn close to her.

"I know that. I need to search his boat, maybe I'll find some answers and figure out what's really going on."

"Okay, but be careful." Hannah warned watching her husband quickly get to his feet. She didn't like him rushing off in the spare of the moment.

"I will."

* * *

Dexter knew that time was of the essence. He had to get onto that boat and search it before Matthews finished up at the station. Morgan didn't even know what it was that he was looking for. A piece to a puzzle that he only just now found out was missing. Without a complete picture of what was going on with the investigation, he would be left in the dark; leaving things up to chance. He couldn't have that.

Upon coming aboard Tom's boat, Dex took a few moments fiddling with the sliding glass door before it gave way. He utilized his small flash light so he could scan the room and look for anything out of the ordinary. His gloved hands leafed through a stack of bills on the coffee table, yielding nothing. Dex exhaled, moving over to the compact wet bar.

_"What do you have on me, Matthews?"_

Morgan's brown eyes shifted to a framed picture of Tom with Harry that was sitting among the bottles of alcohol. Was he being paranoid, reading too much into Tom doing his job as the acting Captain of homicide? No, something was amiss, he could feel it.

And then Dexter saw it. The folded manila envelope that was barely visible behind the bottle of scotch. It was out of place, needing to be stuck there for a reason. He needed to know what that reason was. Morgan carefully removed it from behind the line of glass bottles. He opened it and reached in to remove its contents. Nothing would have prepared him for what he found inside.

Morgan's eyes peered at the photos in his hands. How was this possible? Dex felt like his legs were going to give out beneath him. He staggered over to the nearest sofa and allowed himself to plop down.

_"Six photos of Albert arriving at the motel. How would Matthews have these unless he was following us. All of his questions were merely a game, Matthews knows exactly what happened to Albert because he was there."_

Dexter got to his feet and then stuffed the photos back into the envelope with haste. He quickly decided that he was going to take them. Yes, he was running the risk of Tom noticing that they had disappeared, but on the other hand, he was protecting him and his wife by doing away with more evidence. Dex was not stupid, he knew that somewhere Matthews surely had these pictures saved on a camera or a flash drive.

As he took a quick look around the boat cabin for another possible source of picture files, he continued to unravel and make sense out of the new shocking information he had just stumbled upon:

_"If he has evidence that he was at the scene, then why hasn't he moved on it? What's stopping him from bringing Hannah and I into booking? Maybe he doesn't know the entire truth of who I am. Still, how long before he puts all the pieces together. He's already on the right track noticing the similarities between Hollister's death and the Bay Harbor Butcher's victims. Hannah and I could be living on borrowed time."_

* * *

When Dexter entered his home through the front door, he immediately noticed that the living room was empty. He placed his set of keys down on the table near the door and called out:

"Hannah?"

A few seconds later, he let out a sigh of relief when his wife came through the hallway holding their newborn with a smile on her face.

"Hey, we're having dinner. I didn't know what time you were going to be home." She explained, gently patting Lily as she held her close.

The look on her husband's face quickly caused Hannah's smile to fade. "What is it?"

Before Dex could attempt to fill her in on what he found on Matthew's boat, Harrison came running in to give his daddy a hug. "Daddy, we're having spaghetti!"

"Wow, yeah I can see that. You've got some red sauce all over your face." Dexter commented with a smile as he carried his son back into the dining area that was toward the back of the house. He set him down in his seat. "Finish up your spaghetti while Mommy and I talk."

Hannah gently placed the baby in the nearby bassinet before she followed her husband into the kitchen so that they could talk without the little audience.

"Well, did you find something?"

Dexter's eyebrows went up slightly and he held out the envelope for her to see for herself. She took it from him and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw what was inside.

"Matthews had these on his boat?" She asked with a look of worry.

"Yeah, these pictures prove he was there. I think he was following us."

"If he knows then why didn't he arrest us?"

Dex took the photos back from his wife and proceeded to set them on fire in the kitchen sink.

"I don't know, maybe he's sitting on the evidence until he can build a stronger case. This might be all he has and he's trying to make sense of it. That would explain why he was questioning us."

"When are you putting him on your table?" She asked bluntly while watching the flames engulf the photographs.

Morgan's lips parted and he breathed in deep. "I don't know, there's still so many questions I don't have the answers to when it comes to Matthews."

Hannah looked taken aback by his response. She placed a hand on her hip before she replied back: "What else do you need to know, Dexter, other than the fact that he knows we killed Hollister? He's the one person we know that can put us in prison."

"We don't know that he would do that. He was my father's best friend. He's been looking after me and Deb ever since Harry died."

She scoffed and forced the water on in the sink to put out the flames. "Spare me the sentimentality, he's the acting captain of Miami Metro Homicide."

"You don't think I know that?" Dex hollered back, but then caught himself. He took a deep breath and then spoke on, "I'm just saying that I want to make absolutely sure that there is no other way around this. We don't even know the full extent of what he knows."

Hannah wasn't happy. She gave him a disapproving frown before she turned to leave the kitchen.

"Hey," he muttered, moving to catch her hand to stop her from leaving, "I love you and the kids, and I'm going to do whatever I have to in order to keep this family safe."

Their eyes locked and there was a moment of silence between them. Before Hannah could reply, it was Harrison who interrupted from the doorway of the kitchen: "Mommy, I'm all done. Can I get my bath now?"

Hannah pulled away from Dexter so that she could approach the four year old. In one fluid motion, she lifted him off his feet and onto her hip. Turning back around, she shot her husband a look prompting him to speak again:

"I've got this covered."

"Do you really?" She asked with an eyebrow raise. Before Dex could reply, Hannah had already left the kitchen with their son.

Morgan hated being at odds with his wife, but he couldn't help that some elements of Harry's code would forever be ingrained in him. The vetting process had always been very important to him, especially if the target was someone high profile; Tom Matthews definitely fit the bill in that sense, but he had also been important to the Morgan family. Hannah couldn't understand that. For her, taking life was a mode of survival in the presence of a threat; Other variables would never even make it into the equation. Dexter could not afford to think that way. There was too much riding on all of this. He just hoped that Hannah would come around and have faith that he would take care of them.

* * *

The elevator chimed and Dexter stepped out with a pleasant smile on his face. He shifted his work satchel on his shoulder as he balanced a cigar box in one of his hands, like he had done so often with a box of donuts.

_"Family man; It's has become my favorite part to play. What's surprising is how easy I am able to slip into the role. Perhaps, it's because it's how I see myself now."_

One of the officers approached him as he entered the homicide division office. "My man, Dex, what do you have here?"

"Cigars, help yourself." Morgan replied opening the box to reveal them. Each one had a pink ribbon tied tightly around it that read 'it's a girl!'.

"Nice, congratulations, buddy!" The officer replied before taking one of the smokes from the box.

A few other members of the team followed suit. Lieutenant Batista and Sergeant Miller picked up on Dexter's arrival and moved to greet him.

"Son Cubano, gracias." commented Angel as a took a cigar from the open box. He then moved in giving Dex a quick hug, " _Enhorabuena por el bebé nuevo, Papi."_

_"All right, proud papa, let's see the pictures of your little one." Angie said with a smile prompting Dexter to reach into his pants' pocket for his phone._

_Before Dexter was even able to bring up his daughter's first pictures on his phone, Tom Matthews made his presence known as he got off of the elevator behind him:_

_"Dexter, glad you're here. We've got Michelle Hollister coming in today to make a statement. I'm going to need you to get a DNA swab from her when she comes in so we can rule her out for the DNA we got off the hair we collected at the scene."_

"I'm on it." Dex replied with a smile the moment he turned to face Tom.

"Good, now what do you have there? Are those Cuban 420s?" Matthews asked peering into the box.

"Yup, I believe so. You're welcome to take one." offered Dexter.

"Don't mind if I do, thanks."

The captain took one of the cigars and brought it to his nose to smell before walking away. When Dexter made his way over to his lab station, he saw Masuka sitting at his station looking through a microscope.

"Morning, Vince." Dex commented aloud as he sat his black satchel by his lab station.

"I was wondering if you were even going to show up after you left my uncircumcised dick swinging in the wind yesterday." Masuka replied looking up from what he was doing. He then stood up and walked over to where Dex was standing. "You said you were taking a few hours in the morning, not taking the entire day off so I could be pounded up the ass with paperwork from the motel case."

"I'm sorry, time got away from me. I'm here now. Would you like a cigar?" Morgan offered holding one out to his fellow forensic technician.

"When is the last time you saw an Asian smoking a cigar?"

Dex looked a bit confused by Masuka's comment. "So that's a no?"

Vince narrowed his eyes before snatching the cigar from Dexter's hand."Don't stereotype my people."

Masuka quickly made his way back to his lab station leaving Morgan to make sense of what he had just said.

"I didn't even know you had 'people'."

* * *

It was in the afternoon when Michelle Hollister arrived at Miami Metro. Dexter was immediately beckoned by Batista to perform a quick DNA swab before he began questioning her. When entering the room, Dex took note of her appearance. She looked just like she did in the pictures he had seen of her on the wall of their home; an attractive blonde much like his own wife. He pulled on his white latex gloves before opening up his kit.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Hollister. I'll be quick." He told her opening the swab plastic packaging.

"Is this normal that they are asking for my DNA? I'm not a suspect, am I?" She asked looking a little concerned and possibly wondering if she should have brought a lawyer.

"Don't worry, it's normal. All witnesses related to the case who are close to the victim submit a sample. Open."

Mrs. Hollister opened her mouth as directed allowing Morgan to drag the cotton along the inside of her cheek. "All done."

"I'm sorry, but do I know you? You look familiar to me and I just can't seem to place you." Michelle asked looking at Dexter with an inquisitive eye.

"I don't think so." He muttered back, not even bothering to look back in her direction as he exited the room.

_"She seems nice, but having small talk with the woman who I am responsible for making a widow isn't the top of my list of things I want to do today. That coupled with the fact that I planted her DNA as evidence to keep my own wife safe. Is this what guilt feels like or should I chalk it up to me not being much of an extrovert?"_

Dexter didn't get very far with the sample as Masuka was waiting in the wings to approach him. "Dude, you're the blood guy, I'm the lead forensics specialist, hand over the DNA."

"It's got your name all over it, Vince." Dex replied with a grin as he allowed him to do the honors of processing it. It was just as well since Morgan was much more concerned with what was going to be said during the interview.

Dex was on his way back from the lab to watch Batista cross examine Albert's wife when his eyes caught sight of his own wife coming towards him from the elevator. She was pushing a baby stroller that surely contained his newborn daughter. Morgan narrowed his eyes and began to make his way over to meet her.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?" He asked as he approached her with a voice full of concern.

"Yes, we're fine. I just thought it would be a nice surprise for us to come visit you at work. I brought you some lunch." Hannah explained with a loving smile as she fixed his collar with her hands. She then pulled him closer for a peck on the lips.

Hannah immediately noticed that his attention kept straying elsewhere. She glanced over at the small group of Miami Metro personnel who had congregated around a small television. "I'm sorry, I'm probably keeping you from something important."

"Sorry, it has to do with Albert's case. Under normal circumstances I would love to have lunch with you and the baby, but I've got to make up my hours from yesterday."

"No, it's fine, Dex, I get it. I need to pick up Harrison from school soon anyway, here." Hannah handed her husband his packed lunch.

"Love you." He whispered before leaning in for another quick kiss.

"Love you too. We'll see you at home." She commented back before slowly wheeling the stroller back around.

Dexter called the elevator for her and watched as she departed. It wasn't until she had left that he set the bag of lunch on one of the nearby desks, and then made his way over to the closed circuit TV.

"So you don't know if there is anyone who would want to harm your husband? No long standing enemies that you are aware of?"

Michelle paused for a moment but quickly shrugged her shoulders, "I honestly don't know the answer to that question. I put in many hours of overtime each week and I travel for business at least once a month. I was not very good at keeping tabs on what my husband was up to, if you catch my drift."

"Are you saying that you had reason to believe that he was unfaithful?"

"Yeah, I suspected it for a long time. Actually, I had just hired a private investigating firm to follow him and catch him in the act so that I could know once and for all."

"What's the name of that firm?"

"It's called Porter Investigations, and my contact was a woman named Debra Morgan. She had just signed on and assured me that she would be tracking him twenty-four / seven until she had the proof I wanted."

_"Deb. She and I were hunting the same target. That would have lead her straight to Hannah and me at the motel. Is she the one responsible for the pictures? Knowing Debra, there would be no way she could handle what she witnessed without bringing someone in for support; Matthews. It all makes sense now. It's potentially Debra's word against mine with Tom caught right in the middle."_

Dexter moved quickly back to the lab, closing the door behind him. He removed his cell from his pocket and immediately placed a call to his sister. Morgan stood there patiently, waiting through the number of rings. He wasn't at all surprised that she wasn't answering, he couldn't remember the last time he had picked up the phone and called her. When her voice mail finished playing, he spoke:

"Deb, it's me. We need to talk. Please call me immediately when you get this."

Dex ended the call and placed his cell phone on his desk. He let out a long sigh.

_"I know Deb. If I could just see her and talk to her about Hollister, I can get her to smooth things over with Matthews. Given what she knows about me, I should have been keeping tabs on her all along, despite the rift between us. I would have at least been able to head off her going to Matthews. I've been too focused on my family with Hannah to even notice Debra's problems. Unfortunately, she just became mine."_

Dex's attention immediately shifted to his lab door opening as Masuka popped his head in. "Dude, you won't believe it. Michelle Hollister's DNA sample was a match for the hair we found at the motel crime scene. She was there!"

Morgan had no trouble looking shocked by the news. He was, after all, still reeling about discovering that his sister had been tracking his latest victim. "Wow, that's kind of a surprise. She didn't seem like the type."

"The order came down from Matthews, we're holding her for further questioning. Batista says he's issuing a warrant to search the residence. I guess he's hoping to find more evidence that we can try and use to get a confession."

"Makes sense.." Dex muttered.

"Score one for the Miami Metro Homicide Forensics team!" Masuka exclaimed holding up a fist.

Dexter gave a weak smile and did the same. As soon as Masuka left, he attempted to call his sister again. This time it went right to voice mail without even ringing.

_"At least something is going right for me today. If I wasn't stuck at the station making up my hours, I would be out there looking for Deb. There's no way I could persuade Masuka to cover for me again. I'm stuck here unless we get a call for another crime scene."_

Dexter moved his thumbs across his phone screen as he then typed a text message to Debra: 'I NEED TO TALK TO YOU NOW!'

A half an hour after sending the text message, and he had received absolutely nothing from Deb. There was no mistaking that he was being deliberately ignored. She had to be extremely upset with him to ignore his plea. What if something had happened to Harrison and he was trying to tell her?

Dex needed to get out of his lab. It was starting to close in on him with the weight of his revelation sitting squarely on his shoulders. Maybe it would be best to talk to Matthews first. At least then he stood a chance of figuring out what his sister had told him.

As he began to walk across the length of the homicide department, he noticed that his co-workers were watching Tom Matthews on the overhead TV. He was making a statement to the press about the latest developments in the Hollister murder.

"I'm sorry but we are not releasing any more information. As stated, evidence has come to light that suggests that Michelle Hollister may be implicated in her husband's murder."

The media reports began shouting questions over Tom causing him to raise his voice over them:

"We are holding her for further questioning and are in the process of obtaining a search....warrant... for the residence..." Matthews began to breath heavy, bringing his right hand to his chest. He grimaced in pain before letting out a painful moan and falling to the ground.

"Someone call 911! I think he had a heart attack!" Someone shouted as the members of the press were clamoring to get closer to capture what had just taken place.

Dexter was completely taken aback by what had just happened on the live broadcast. He knew immediately what fate had befallen Captain Tom Matthews.

_"Hannah."_


	11. Episode 11: Laced Decisions

_"We are all destined for death. I am no stranger to this concept. But sometimes it even catches me off guard, when it's delivered swiftly and unexpected by another."_

Dexter found himself standing on the peripheral of the chaos. It had erupted when Captain Tom Matthews had fallen to the ground unresponsive right outside of MMPD. Morgan had no recollection of how he got there. He was simply a voyeur; standing on the sidelines as medical personnel rushed the scene as they were screaming for others to back away. Dex held his breath. An EMT shook his head after checking Matthews for a pulse.

_"Hannah's aconite is potent. I can't see any other explanation as to why Matthews would suddenly drop dead. It's my wife's kill. The reason she stopped by the station. This was her solution to the problem when I refused to act."_

Morgan was frozen in place. It was like a silent movie that was playing on a big projector screen; what would be the clicking of the reel was his voice in the back of his head. It was when Angel approached him that Dexter was thrust back into reality.

"Tom's gone, Dex. I'm so sorry. I know how close he was to you and Debra since your dad passed." Batista croaked.

Dex gave a slight nod. He crossed his arms over his chest and attempted to take a deep breath. Dexter's memory flashed back to that night when he had arrived at the hospital and had been greeted with Deb running in his arms sobbing, telling him that their father was gone. It was that day that Morgan knew, for the first time, that he was now truly alone. Matthews' death stirred something inside of him; bringing those thoughts back to the surface of his consciousness after being buried for so long. Things had changed since Harry's death; a few people had come and gone in Dexter's life and learned his secret. But he found his soul mate in Hannah. She was the one person that he could share everything with. Unfortunately, it seemed that his wife was set in her determination to eliminate anyone who posed a threat to her happiness, regardless if Dex agreed with it or not.

Angel put his hand on Dexter's back before he spoke again. "You should go home. I wouldn't expect you to finish out the day after this."

"Thanks, Angel. You're right, I just want to go home to Hannah and the kids."

_"I'm not lying to Batista. All I can think about is confronting Hannah with what she had done. With each person close to us that we eliminate, we risk drawing attention to ourselves. Why can't my wife see that?"_

* * *

The past twenty-four hours were almost unbearable for Debra. She had heard about addicts having to go through withdrawal, but experiencing it herself was something else entirely. Her whole body throbbed. She had been shaking; Rocking back and forth for most of the night, praying for it all to go away. Nick had not left her side. He whispered to her frequently that the worst would all be over soon.

After what felt like forever, the pain had relented considerably. It was clear that Deb had gotten through the worst of it. The brief relief from the withdrawal pains had allowed Debra to scarf down a plate of food that Porter had fixed for her. He sat there across the table with the hint of a smile on his face.

"You're not eating?" she asked, feeling a bit awkward that he was just sitting there observing her eat.

"Already did before you woke up."

"I wasn't asleep. How the fuck could I sleep when my entire body was seizing out over not having any coke or Xanax? My head feels like it's been beaten with a two by four!" Deb remarked, throwing her fork into the plate.

Nick got to his feet and approached his girlfriend from behind. He began to rub her shoulders in a way of showing support for what she was going through. "Do you want to take some Tylenol for the headache?"

"No... It probably wouldn't even be that bad if my psychotic, selfish asshole brother wasn't blowing up my phone for the last hour. I haven't heard from him since he married that bitch and now all of a sudden he is desperate to talk to me."

"What do you think he wants? You think it's about the murder that you called in? Think Matthews talked to him about what you told him?"

"Fuck if I know. I couldn't give a shit about what he wants to talk to me about . It's always about

Dexter, no one else matters. He can hold his breath until I call him."

Nicholas let out a slight chuckle before removing his hands from her shoulders. He then took a seat right next to her before speaking: "At least you have family to talk to. There are some days I would give anything to talk to my parents again."

Debra lowered her eyes. Her thoughts drifting to her own parents, Harry and Doris Morgan. "I know the feeling. How old were you when they died?"

"Sixteen. They were coming home from some benefit dinner. Dad had indulged a little too much at the party and I guess he lost control of the car and hit a tree. I was told that they both died instantly on impact."

"That sucks, losing both of them like that. Never getting a chance to say goodbye. At least they left you well off. The only thing I got from my dad at the end was a lecture of how I needed to stay close with Dexter; that we were all each other had left in the world. You see how that turned out."

The sound of Deb's cell phone ringing prompted her to remove it from her back pocket as she commented, "It's probably Dexter again. Can't he take a hint?"

Glancing at the iPhone screen, she saw that it was, in fact, Angel Batista. Deb looked a bit surprised, but quickly accepted the call. "Angel?"

"Hey Deb, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I thought you'd want to know."

"What happened?" Morgan asked. Her brown eyes widened as she remembered the last time that Batista had called out of the blue was to tell her about Joey's suicide.

"It's Tom Matthews. He passed away today."

All the air was suddenly sucked from Deb's lungs.

"How? What happened?" She asked when she finally regained her wind.

"We think it was a heart attack. He was holding a press conference when it happened. Matthews was gone before the EMTs could arrive. I just thought you'd want to know because he was a family friend. I'm so sorry."

Porter could see the color draining from his girlfriend's face. It was clear that whatever she was being told over the phone was having a profound effect on her. "Deb, what's going on?"

Debra couldn't reply to either of the men who were talking to her. She was lost in her thoughts. Her brain trying desperately to process what she had just been told. Her father's best friend, the man Harry had appointed to look after her and Dexter, was dead. Batista mentioning a heart attack was all she needed to come to the conclusion that Hannah McKay had struck again. There was too much of a coincidence of Deb telling Matthews about Dexter and Hannah, only for him to drop dead two days later of a heart attack. It was like Sal Price all over again. She knew that a tox screen post mortem would not prove that he was poisoned.

Deb was going to need to find the evidence; If there was even any to be found. This time, Hannah had Dexter to cover up her kills. Deb knew that she couldn't live with herself if she didn't try and bring McKay to justice.

* * *

Dexter stepped out of his Ford Escape in his driveway. He caught sight of little Harrison playing in the garden, which compelled him to enter his yard. The four year old looked up from his toys and smiled at the sight of his daddy coming toward him.

"Daddy, come play trucks with me!" Harrison exclaimed holding up one of his monster truck toys for his father to see.

Morgan saw that his wife was crouching amid a flower bed over by the greenhouse. Her beautiful blonde hair was pulled back in a loose updo. Dexter was ready to confront her and he didn't need his son to be privy to what was going to be said. "Maybe later, buddy. Why don't you take those monster trucks up onto the back deck where you've got your matchbox cars?"

"Okay." The child replied happily as he lifted his trucks and began to walk back toward the house.

Dex pressed on toward the greenhouse. He stopped once he was under the covered patio at the entrance of the nursery. His infant daughter, Lily, was sleeping soundly in the shade. Dexter instinctively smiled as he took a moment to peer down at his youngest child. He then reached down and gently brushed her fine blonde hair with his fingertips, causing her to stir slightly.

Hannah noticed him out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, bringing him into her full focus.

"Hey, you're home early."

Dex's eyebrows raised slightly as he simply gave a nod. He took a deep breath as he saw his wife stand and begin to make her way over to him.

She removed her gardening gloves and tossed them next to the pack 'n play on the patio floor. "I thought you were working late to make up your hours."

"So did I. Though I wasn't expecting Matthews to suddenly drop dead of a heart attack." Dex replied in a monotone voice. His eyes stayed focused on his wife in order to gauge her reaction to his words.

She sighed and swept a blonde strained of hair away from her face as her eyes darted away from her husband's confronting gaze. "Look, I know you wanted to hold off on killing him, but he was a real threat to us. He-"

Dexter's anger surged as he cut her off mid sentence: "I told you that I was handling it! This is like Sal Price all over again, and we both know how that ended!"

"Yeah, with you turning me in! They would have never gotten me for Price's murder if you didn't give your sister that pen!" Hannah hollered back causing the baby to begin to fuss. " Why do you have to bring up the past, Dexter?"

Dexter gave an exasperated sigh before he spoke back in a calmer voice. "My point is that this is the second person we've been in recent contact that has wound up dead. People notice that kind of a thing. And if they do a toxicology screen-"

"They aren't going to find anything. The amount I used was completely undetectable." She replied back while moving to tend to her crying infant.

"How did you do it?"

"The cigar you gave him. He had it unlit in his mouth when I came to see him. He put it on the desk when he stepped out to speak to his secretary, and I knew that was my opportunity."

"And where is the cigar now?"

Hannah shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, bringing her daughter close to her. She didn't seem at all concerned.

"You're acting like there isn't evidence of what you did out there for someone to find. I can't protect you and this family if you keep doing things to jeopardize us."

Mrs. Morgan sighed slightly, rocking the baby gently in her arms as she then replied in a soft voice: "I'm sorry. I know he was one of your father's friends, but he was a threat that had to be dealt with as a matter of our survival."

Dex breathed in deep and gave a subtle head shake. Before departing the garden, he took the final word: "Let me worry about our survival. Focus on just being a wife and mother like you said you wanted."

Hannah appeared to be put out by his final comment. Her eyes followed him as his words continued to resonate with her. She wondered if she could be content to let him have full reign of them evading the authorities while she only focused on her domestic duties. Hannah McKay had spent her entire life protecting herself by any means necessary. No matter how much she loved this man, she would never fully surrender to the idea that he had everything covered.

* * *

It was with much hesitation that Debra made her way to her former place of employment. There were so many memories attached to Miami Metro that it was making her new determination to stay clean almost impossible. The oh so familiar people and places really stirred up a lot of shit that doing blow and Xanax had helped her forget. Deb avoided the homicide division and went straight to the executive floor where Tom's office was located.

Debra startled Tom's secretary who looked to be deep in thought at her desk. The woman's eyes darted toward her and she quickly smiled politely, recognizing the former Lieutenant. "Oh, hi Deb, you scared me."

"Yeah, sorry, I'm surprised you're still here after..." Deb stopped short of speaking of Tom's fate.

"I'm just trying to tie up some loose ends. I needed to make up some hours. Tom was planning on working late tonight and had approved it. I'm so sorry about your loss. I know how close you and your brother were to him."

Debra sighed, folding her arms in front of her. The phrase "I'm sorry for your loss" was like the sound of a dental drill during a cavity fill. She wanted to scream, letting about a dozen of her favorite four letter words project from her mouth; but she didn't.

"Thanks." Deb muttered, "Umm, was Matthews acting any different today?"

"No, not that I noticed. It was a typical day. He was staying busy, people coming in and out of his office."

"Yeah, like who? Anyone out of the ordinary come to see him?"

"Your sister-in-law stopped by around lunch time."

Morgan physically cringed hearing Hannah McKay being referred to her as her sister-in-law. She quickly got over the label and inquired further, "Hannah? She was here to see Tom?"

"Yes, she even brought the new baby with her. The little one is so precious."

"Any idea why she was here?"

"It seemed like just a friendly visit. Hannah mentioned that she was bringing Dexter lunch and wanted to pop in and say hi to Captain Matthews. Why do you ask?" the secretary inquired, noticing that Deb seemed intent on finding out why Mrs. Morgan was there.

Debra completely ignored the secretary's question and rattled off more of her own: "So she was in his office? Was she in there long? Did Tom say anything to you after she left?"

"No, he didn't. And yes, Hannah and the baby were with Tom in his office. I'd say the visit was about fifteen minutes. But why-"

"I'm going to go look around his office for a minute." Morgan informed the assistant, cutting her off mid sentence. She pressed on into Matthews' office before the woman could question further.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary in Tom's office. Morgan crossed the room, moving to the open window that overlooked the Miami Metro Bay. She had always admired the view. Deb closed it, and took a seat at the desk. She sighed, her eyes filling with tears at the sight of the photograph next to a picture of his late wife, Maggie. It was a framed photo of Tom and Harry from their days on the force together. Debra couldn't believe they were both gone now.

Deb's soft, nostalgic focus was pierced by something pink in her peripheral view. Closer inspection revealed the small ribbon with three small words printed on it: 'IT'S A GIRL'. Debra's lips parted as she noticed what had been left in the glass tray on the desk. She knew immediately that she had found what she was looking for.

* * *

Dexter stood in his youngest child's dimly lit room. He held a bottle steadily to her mouth, rocking gently back and forth.

_"It's the simple things; The soft, quiet nightfall, the sleepy cadence of my daughter's breath while her cloudy blue eyes peer up at me. Like a steady beacon of light guiding my ship into port through the dark waters of uncertainty and doubt."_

"Daddy's going to take care of everything. I'll keep us safe, I promise." Dex breathed, his eyes focused intently on his youngest offspring.

Morgan was determined to protect his family, all of them. Rita had been a causality of his cat and mouse game with Arthur Mitchell that went on longer than it should have. His failure to react swiftly cost his son his birth mother. He would not allow the same fate to befall his little girl.

A shadow cast over his newborn's face, directing Dexter's attention to the source. His wife had been standing in the nursery doorway, watching him for a few moments before moving to approach him.

Hannah's voice met the silence with a gentle whisper: "I'm sorry."

Her words caused Dexter to sigh and look away from her gaze, refocusing his attention back to their child.

She pressed on, "I know you wanted to deal with Matthews your way, but I was scared. Scared he was going to take away everything that we've built together. I couldn't sit back and let that happen, not when I had the power to prevent it."

Dexter gave another airy breath full of frustration, and then replied, "Your method of prevention threatens to expose us. And if that happens, Hannah, everything will come crashing down, including this family we've built."

His words caused her eyes to close for a moment. The mere mention of the life she now had with Dexter Morgan being pulled from her grasp shook her to her core. When her eyes opened again, she fixed them on her baby, bringing her hand to the soft blonde locks to provide a loving touch.

Dexter continued, "We've got to be on the same page if we want to get through this. No more killing on your own, no more secrets between us."

She sighed and nodded in agreement. "Come to bed when you put Lily down."

It wasn't long after his wife departed that Morgan was able to place his sleeping infant in the nearby crib. His hands gripped the rail, as his eyes stared off into the dark space of the room.

Brian appeared on the other side of the crib. He playfully batted the plush pastel flowers hanging from the baby mobile.

_Brian: "You say no more secrets, yet you're keeping a big ol' whopper from the Missus. What would Hannah say if she knew that Debra was behind those photos of Hollister and not Matthews?"_

" _I'm more worried about what Hannah would do. She would target Deb, regardless of the fact that we don't even know what she actually knows about the kill."_

_Brian: "She refuses to take your calls or answer your texts, why do you think that is?"_

" _She refuses to accept my marriage to Hannah-"_

_Brian: "It's more than that.."_

Moser rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh before continuing in a stern voice:

_Brian: "You know she was the one who took pictures of Hollister entering the motel room where you killed him. Matthews had no reason to be following Albert that night. She was there, Dexter. She knows everything and is probably the one who called it in before getting Tom involved."_

His imaginary brother's words caused Dexter to spin around, bringing both of his hands together against his face.

" _If Deb wanted to turn me in then she would have. She's always had an innate need to protect me. Unlike Matthews, she knows what I am. I just need to get her to talk to me. I can work this out with her. Hannah never has to know."_

* * *

The next day, Dexter set off early. He had decided to stop by Deb's place before going into the station. His sister had ignored all of his messages since Matthew's demise. There would be no way she would be able to avoid him if he showed up on her doorstep. Unfortunately for him, when Dexter arrived, he saw that Deb's car was not there. A text from Miami Metro directing him to the Hollister home kept him from investigating further.

With his kit in tow, Dexter made his way through the front door of Albert Hollister's home. The place was being combed through by Miami Metro.

" _Looks like the search warrant came through. The question is why was I called here? The blood spatter analyst is only needed if there's blood to be found."_

Morgan navigated his way through the first floor of the house, heading toward where he knew Albert's study was located. Sure enough, it was this room that the homicide team had congregated. Batista quickly took notice of Dexter's presence and left the huddle.

"Socio, glad you're here."

"I see the search warrant came through." Dexter replied sitting his kit down next to the other forensic equipment.

"Yeah, but right before we had someone come forward. A woman claimed to have had an affair with Albert Hollister. She said hearing about his death on the news prompted her to come in to the station.

Claims he was a real freak, had a thing for pregnant ladies. She even said he set up a camera and filmed them having sex. Very bold move, especially for a guy with a wife at home."

"And so you figured that the search warrant that was requested could produce that video footage?"

Sergeant Angie Miller approached Dex and Angel, "Did you fill him in on the video clips we found on the flash drive?"

" _He doesn't need to."_

"Not yet, I was telling him about the person of interest who came forward."

Morgan interjected, directing the focus back to what he was suppose to be there for, "So where's the blood?"

Batista adjusted his fedora slightly on his head before responding. "Masuka called out first thing this morning. He left a message on my cell. It was something about shellfish and a one legged stripper, I don't know. I deleted it, texted him to get back to work as soon as he can. A few officers are bagging and tagging some things. I just want someone to oversee them and figured you could handle that."

Dexter gave a quick nod and followed his coworkers further into the study where Hollister's laptop was on and displaying the numerous files from the hidden flash drive. Batista went on to explain what they were seeing:

"It didn't take us long to find his collection. This guy has ten folders alphabetized by female first names. Inside the folders are candid photos of each of the young ladies."

One of the officers scrolled through the various pictures in the first folder causing Sergeant Angie to comment, "This is stalker territory, these are taken without her knowing, coming out of a supermarket, getting out of her car at a bank. This guy was definitely obsessed with these women."

Angel went on to acknowledge the video file, "And here's the file of the woman who came forward. They made a video the night they were together, just like she told us. Es vergonzoso. Disgraceful, pendejo with a wife and kids at home while he's out screwing pregnant women."

It was when the officer clicked and played the video that Batista spoke up again, "Turn that shit off, we don't need to see it again. Of all the days Masuka decides to call out sick. Reviewing these files would be his wet dream. He lives for this shit."

Dexter decided it was the perfect opportunity to further push the guilty wife narrative, "If we were able to find this, how can we be sure Mrs. Hollister didn't also?"

"I could definitely see this as a motive for her wanting her husband gone. This takes infidelity to a whole new level." Miller replied folding her arms across her chest. "I mean, the only sample we found at the crime scene was a strand of her hair."

"Could the hair have been already on his clothes? She did live with him. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't have much of an alibi to vouch for her version of events. She said she pulled a late night at the office, came straight home around 8 PM to find the housekeeper watching her son." Batista explained, giving a summary of what Michelle Hollister had told him during her interview.

"We should interview the housekeeper, maybe she saw them arguing at some point. The vic was full of knife holes and had his throat slit, whoever killed him was clearly full of rage, it was overkill."

Lieutenant Batista let out a sigh and paused for a moment to press on with his opinion, "I don't know, I just didn't get that vibe when I interviewed her. This murder was premeditated, it had to be with all that plastic covering the motel room, and that knife set. This was not a spare of the moment kill. Whoever did this planned it out."

"Is it possible that it could be a jealous boyfriend or husband of one of these women on the flash drive?" Angie questioned, trying to look for other possibilities.

"Sure, anything is possible, but without any evidence to prove someone else other than Albert and his wife were in that motel room, we've got no grounds for any other theory. I've been trying to get a hold of Debra. Michelle claimed she hired her to follow her husband. I would have asked yesterday but it didn't seem right to ask when I had just told her about Matthews."

" _If I can convince Deb to keep her silence, then Hannah and I can stay ahead of this. I need to make sure that the focus stays on Michelle Hollister_. _"_

* * *

Porter sat hunched over his large desk. He breathed in deep through is nostrils taking in a line of white. His eyelids fluttered before closing as he exhaled and fell back into his chair. Despite the fact that Debra had decided to swear off the stuff, didn't mean that he had. The sound of his office door opening, prompted him to move quickly and dispose of his stash of coke in his desk drawer. Deb entered the room with two cups of coffee.

Nick quickly wiped his nose and greeted her, "Hey babe, where have you been? I tried calling you."

Debra set one of the coffee cups in front of him before plopping down in one of the chairs on the other side of Porter's desk, "My phone's been dead since last night, just started charging it. I went to an independent lab this morning to test that cigar bud. I should be getting the results back sometime today."

"You're hoping it's going to come back positive for aconite, huh? I guess it's worth a shot. I mean, we don't know that it's what she used. Could have put it in his coffee for all we know." Nick commented raising the cup up in front of him to signal 'cheers'.

Debra's mouth parted, as she stared at him for a moment before replying, "That's not fucking funny. That murdering bitch killed Matthews, the same way she killed Sal Price and I'm going to prove it. I may not have definitive proof to nail her for Hollister but this shit is going to fucking stick."

"I guess we will see when the test comes back. Either way I think it's time we step our game up." Nick replied after taking a long sip of coffee.

The sound of Deb's cell phone ringing compelled her to remove it from her pocket. The display read

'Angel Batista'.

* * *

Dexter took the stairs to reach the Miami Metro executive floor. Upon returning to the station from the Hollister home, he had gone to that floor directly, completely bypassing homicide. With his hands in his pockets, he strolled down the hall and stopped at Matthews' office. Dex eyed the empty secretary desk.

" _Things are quiet. No Matthews means no secretary perched outside his office. The top tier of Miami Metro are busy scrambling to find a successor. First Maria now Tom, the position doesn't hold a great track record."_

Morgan thought for a moment that he might have to pick the lock on the office door, but it was unlocked. He slipped inside and immediately his eyes began to scan the room for what could be left of the cigar. He first checked the trashcan next to the desk. His hand sifting through numerous papers. Dexter's attention then shifted to the desk where he spotted the pink ribbon in the cigar ashtray.

" _Pink ribbon, but no cigar. The only thing I can hope is that Matthews had done away with it before Hannah's aconite did away with him."_

* * *

Descending down the staircase, Dexter made his way back to the homicide division. Upon his arrival, he was halted in his tracks. His brown eyes focused in on the sight that was once so familiar and normal, but now set him on edge. Debra was walking with Batista toward the interview room.

" _Why is she here? Is Deb going to tell Miami Metro what she knows? Is this the day she's going to betray me? How much does she have on me? What has she seen? Batista may find out before I do and by then it will be too late for me."_

Morgan felt himself taking steps forward further into the station, slowly walking toward where his sister had disappeared with Angel.

Batista gave his old friend a warm smile as she looked away from his gaze and ran her hand through her hair.

"Thanks for coming in, Deb. I know you must be mourning Tom's death. I won't keep you long, I just have a few questions for you regarding this case we are working on."

"I know, you told me that on the phone." Deb quickly replied placing her hands on the table in front of her. She sounded a bit impatient and preoccupied.

She had been taken aback that Angel had not just asked her questions on the phone but had requested her to drop by the station to give a more formal interview. Her mind immediately thought of the camera in the corner of the room that was no doubt capturing everything: not just her words, but her nonverbal behavior as well. Shifty eyes, her posture. She knew all of this as the former Lieutenant of Homicide. Back when she was sitting on the other side of the table and enjoying seeing her interviewer sweat it out. Could Batista see that too?

"Michelle Hollister told us in her first interview that she hired you to follow her husband and prove that he was cheating on her. To make a long story short, her husband ended up with several knife holes and a slit throat in a seedy motel. Only evidence we have is a single blonde strand of hair that belongs to Michelle."

"And you know for sure that that blonde hair is the wife's?" Deb quickly retorted without even thinking.

Angel eyebrows furrowed, lips parting slightly before he responded, "What do you mean? We had it analyzed. Who else could it have been?"

Debra sat back in the chair and folded her arms. She looked away from her former coworker's inquisitive gaze. This was the perfect opportunity for her to blow the lid off of Dexter and Hannah. She still had the copies of Albert arriving at the motel. She could prove that she was there. What would be hard to explain is why she had not come forward with the information until now.

"I don't know, I'm just wondering. Michelle Hollister didn't seem like the type to kill her husband. She just wanted to know the truth of what he was up to." Deb finally replied in an exhale.

"So you followed him?"

"Yeah."

"See anything unusual? Anything that could say he pissed off the wrong boyfriend or husband?"

Deb shook her head and replied, "No, he was a pretty boring tail. I followed him around Miami; Typical cheating scumbag."

"How long were you following him? It would really help us out if you could give us an account of his whereabouts during that time period. All notes, and pictures you took. It would help us establish a timeline of his movement."

Debra instinctively bit her bottom lip when she heard Batista's request. Her eyes darted down to her hands that she had put in her lap.

"You okay, Deb? What's wrong? You seem like something's bothering you. Do you know something about this case?"

Debra could feel her heart begin to pound in her chest. She felt like she was right on the edge, the cusp of spilling it all to her co-worker and friend. She hated lying to him and if she just opened her mouth and said it, it could all be over. She could finish her quest to take down Hannah with the help of Miami Metro. But what would that do to Dexter?

She was suddenly startled as the sound of the door opened. She turned and saw her brother standing in the doorway. Dex's arrival was abrupt and had caused the interview to come to a halt. It had been the first time she had laid eyes on her brother in months.

He spoke out quickly, "Is this really necessary right now, Angel? We've all been through a lot with what happened to Tom."

Deb's eyes widened. Fuck he was good. Playing the role of the concerned brother to perfection. But she knew better. This wasn't about his concern for her but more of a concern for saving his and Hannah's own asses.

"Of course, we can talk more later when Deb feels up to it."

Batista's words caused Dexter to move further forward into the room. When Morgan approached his sister, she immediately got to her feet. Dex went to place a hand on her shoulder but she quickly shrugged it off and retreated from the room. Debra did not stop as she walked through the department. Dexter followed after her. She must have sensed he was behind her as she decided to take the stairs as to not halt her stride. The sound of her brother's voice echoed through the stairwell but she had no intention of stopping. It wasn't until she reached the parking lot that Dexter caught up with her.

"Deb, wait! I need to talk to you!" He called out as he saw her reach her car.

His words caused her to scoff, she spun around to finally face him, "You want to talk to me now? Funny how I haven't heard from you in almost a fucking year and now you just have to talk to me!"

"I know it's been a while. Matthews' death caught us all off guard and if anything it was a wake-up call that we should be trying to patch things up."

"Heart attack, right?" Deb sneered, "She killed Tom. Dad's best friend. How the fuck are you okay with that?"

Dexter breathed in deep and let out a long exhale. He said nothing. His reaction elicited a forced laugh from Debra. She proceeded to get in her BMW, slamming the door shut behind her. Before he was able to attempt her to stay, she started the engine and sped off.

Dex stood there. His eyes following the BMW until it was out of sight. The interaction between them had happened so fast that he had not been prepared to effectively intervene. His mind was a sea of questions. What did she know? What didn't she know? The voice of his brother pierced his thoughts:

_Brian: "That is one crazy bitch. One that you have absolutely no control over and is completely unpredictable. This is going to get very messy, Dexter. You have to act now."_

Brian was now standing along side his brother. He too was gazing off in the distance where Debra's car was last in view.

" _What could she have told Batista if I hadn't interrupted? I know Deb, she talks a big game but at the end of the day she is loyal to family. I've got to get her back in the fold. It's the only option."_

Dexter removed his cellphone from his back pocket as he was going to make an attempt to call her.

_Brian: "Is it? What if it's too late for that?"_

His brother's words caused him to turn his attention away from his phone. He looked directly into his brother's eyes, the same eyes that were staring right back at him. And then he broke the gaze, retreating back toward the office building.

* * *

Debra's vision was blurry. She struggled to see the road ahead, but she managed. Her eyes bombarded with tears that she could do nothing to hold back. Reeling from the encounter with her brother, a flood of emotions pouring out all at once: anger, sadness, disgust. All of which began to make her seriously question the importance of her sobriety. Alcohol, Xanax, and cocaine, they had been her circle of friends ever since her family had turned their back on her. Family meaning Dexter, as Harrison was just a child along for the ride; an innocent caught in the fucked up life that his father had created for him. She struggled for a moment, attempting to call the one person who she had left.

"Nick?" She sobbed as soon as the call picked up passed the ring.

"Babe? What is it? Are you hurt? What happened?"

Debra devolved into sobbing nonsense that was impossible to understand. It prompted Porter to ask her to repeat herself, this time speaking clearer.

Deb tried her best to reign in her emotions long enough to be coherent, "Fucking Dexter...He acted like he gave a shit and wanted to fix our relationship, but he doesn't give a fuck! I want to use so fucking bad right now..."

"Shh, hey, hey, it's going to be okay. I'm here for you and I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, I know..." Debra cried sniffling back her congestion.

"This may just be the opportunity we needed. Your brother is trying to bring you back in his circle. Closer to him, _and_ closer to Hannah. We can use that to our advantage. Come back to my office. Your results from the cigar butt arrived while you were gone. Your long shot paid off in spades. We've got some planning to do."

His words caused Deb's mouth to pull taut. She smiled through her tears. Finally that bitch was going to get what was coming to her and this time, there would be nothing for Dexter to do to stop it.

* * *

Miami Metro was buzzing with activity throughout the midday. Batista and Angie were combing through the personal effects from the Hollister home that had been confiscated for further examination. Amid the many items was a photograph that had caught Angel's eye that Sergeant Miller had not noticed. He reached out and took the photo, bringing it closer to him to study it. It was a photo of little Jay Hollister's soccer team. The four year old child of Albert and Michelle. It was one of the children in the team photo that Angel recognized immediately.

"Is that Harrison?" He asked aloud.

"Who?" Angie asked as she moved to look at the photo that Batista was studying.

"Dexter's son. That's him. He and Albert's kid must have been on the same soccer team."

"Looks like it's from this year. "Angie added, pointing to the year at the bottom of the picture.

Batista glanced in the direction of the forensic unit of the homicide division. "Did we make note of what preschool that Jay Hollister attends?"

"I think so. I don't remember the name his mother mentioned, but I didn't think it relevant. I'm sure it's in my notes."

"Our Lady of the Gulf?" Batista asked turning back to look at Angie.

"Yes! That was it. Damn, good memory."

"That's the same preschool that Harrison goes to. What would the odds be that they are in the same class?" Angel asked as he began walking to the back of the homicide division.

"He could be, Dexter's son is around the same age, isn't he? I would think Dexter would have mentioned if he knew the victim. It's possible he doesn't even know that his son goes to school with this kid." Miller replied following after the Lieutenant.

Angel peeked in through the window of the door leading to Dexter's small lab room. He turned back to where Masuka was sitting at his station.

"Hey, where's Dexter?"

"He took off a little while ago. I guess he figured I could cover since I left him holding his dick this morning. I'm pretty sure he already got his spatter reports done. Kiss ass. Why what's up?"

Angie replied before Batista was able, "We just found out that Hollister's kid was on the same soccer team as Harrison Morgan, and may have even been in the same preschool class."

Vince looked to be in thought for a moment before he replied, "Huh, well I'm pretty sure Dexter would have said something if he knew. His wife threw that lame kids' birthday party and had the whole class over."

"True, Hannah can probably give us a list of who she invited. If Michelle and Albert were there, we can question the other parents. See if they saw anything unusual with their interaction." Batista added.

"Yeah, maybe Hollister was hitting on a pregnant milf. I know I would have. Huhuhuhuhuh."

* * *

Evening was approaching when Debra's BMW slowed to a stop in front of the Morgan residence. She cut her engine and let out a exasperated sigh. There was no way she was looking forward to being in the same room as her sister-in-law. She questioned if she was ready. Being around Dexter was one thing, but adding that murdering bitch into the mix was a whole other story. But she had to do this. There was no other way.

She emerged from her car. As Deb approached the house, her eyes caught sight of her nephew. He was playing with his toys in the front sun room. Debra's lips parted as she got closer to the glass paneled door while continuing to peer in at her nephew. He had gotten so big since the last time she had seen him. Tapping on the glass got the child's attention. When he looked up at her, she waved. A smile formed on Harrison's face as he got to his feet to let her in.

"Hi Aunt Deb, come to see my baby sister?" Harrison questioned after he opened the door allowing Debra to enter to sun room.

The front door to the rest of the house was closed so Debra knew she could speak freely and not be heard by Dexter nor Hannah. "Hey buddy, God I missed you."

She bent over and pulled the child into a hug. She was relieved to notice that he seemed normal and well cared for. The months she had spent away from him made her question how he would fair under Hannah's care.

"Missed you too, come on, I'll show you the baby."

Harrison broke the hug. Deb allowed him to take her by the hand and lead the way into the house. Upon entering the home, Deb took a quick glance around the living room, no one was there.

"Are you by yourself?" She asked as he lead her toward the nursery.

"No, Mommy and Daddy are in the back yard."

The four year old pulled his aunt into the nursery. Her eyes scanned all of the flowers that decorated the walls. No doubt this was all Hannah's doing as it was certainly not Dexter's handy work. Debra's attention fell to the circular crib that sat in the middle of the room; the focal point of Hannah's painted wonderland.

"Here she is, baby Lily." Harrison announced pointing his finger into the crib between the bars.

Debra was half expecting Rosemary's baby to be laying in there. The spawn of Hannah McKay was as precious as she was delicate. A thin layer of blonde hair covered her head. The newborn stirred slightly when Harrison reached into the crib and touched her hand softly. Such innocence had sprung from such evil.

"Mommy, look, Aunt Deb's here!" Harrison called out causing Debra to spin around in place.

Hannah Morgan was standing in the doorway. The two women stared at one another for a few seconds before Hannah spoke out to her adoptive son, "Harrison, go play with your toys in the sun room while Aunt Deb and I talk."

"Okay." He said, leaving the room.

"What are you doing here?" Hannah quickly questioned the moment she heard the front door close shut, cutting Harrison off from what was happening in the house. She folded her arms in front of her.

"That's none of your fucking business. I'm here to see Dexter and Harrison." Deb sneered.

"My family, my business." Hannah retorted in a calm voice that was full of confidence.

"Fine, let's talk about your business. Like how you poisoned Tom Matthews because you figured he was onto you. You're not going to get away with that."

Hannah rolled her eyes, she bent over the crib to cover her daughter with a light blanket. "You really are obsessed with me, aren't you? The minute someone drops dead you immediately assume I had something to do with it. You have no proof."

"Wanna bet?" Deb answered back with a raise of an eyebrow. She smiled wide.

Hannah's eyes narrowed. She thought for a minute as she pursed her lips together slightly before responding, "You have nothing. This is just one of your pitiful attempts to get Dexter back into your life. The fact is that he doesn't need you." Hannah explained with a smirk on her face as she went on, "The Morgan family portrait really doesn't have any place for a drugged out pretend sister. He and Harrison don't even miss you."

Her words caused Debra to shake with fury. Her hand grabbed hold of the crib rail, as it was all she could do to ground herself, keeping her composure. "I wonder if they will miss you when you're spending the rest of your life in prison? I found Matthews' cigar. It's going to erase you from this family."

Hannah's self assured smirk immediately faded when she heard the mention of the cigar that she had laced with aconite to kill Tom. She blinked a few times before responding, "I'm never going to prison. Dexter wouldn't let that happen, he took care of Price's pen and he can do the same with the cigar. Matthews investigation died with him."

"See that's where you're wrong. You thought Tom was the one on to you but it was me. I'm the one who saw Albert Hollister enter that motel room. I'm the one who found your Wayne Randall killing reenactment that my brother helped you plan. I called it in." Debra said moving forward toward Hannah.

Mrs. Morgan moved away from Debra's advances to the other side of the crib. The look on her face told the story and she was not at all comfortable with what she was hearing. She replied with venom through grit teeth as she leaned over the crib, "What makes you think that was _my_ kill? When Dexter finds out it was you-"

"I'm pretty sure he already knows. Dexter has been trying to talk to me ever since Hollister's wife told Miami Metro that I was assigned to follow Albert. I just saw him today when I was at the station for questioning. I guess he didn't tell you. Wonder how many more secrets he's keeping from you?"

Hannah's mouth fell open. Tears began to glisten in her blue eyes. She quickly blinked a few times, trying to keep her reaction at bay. She was gobsmacked; completely caught of guard by Debra's admission. Her focus shifted to Dexter who entered the nursery. Deb noticed the change in Hannah's attention and she too looked in her brother's direction.

Dexter felt like he was front and center. Both his sister and wife staring at him with their arms crossed. He had no idea how long the heated argument had been going on before he had arrived. He was just glad that his son had come to tell him that him that Aunt Deb was with mom in the nursery.

"What's going on?" He asked, piercing the awkward silence.

It was Hannah who spoke up first, "She came into our home and threatened our family."

"No, I threatened you. Believe me when I say that you will pay for the motel murder and poisoning Tom."

Dexter moved forward towards his sister, "Deb, you don't know what you're talking about. I know what you think you saw in the motel-"

"I know exactly what I saw, and it was a fucking homage of her spree killing days with Wayne Randall. And now I have evidence of what she did to Tom. She's done."

His sister's threat drew Dexter closer. His face inches away from hers as he muttered aloud, "Leave it alone, Deb. Please. You need to back off."

"Don't ask me to do that. You know what's right, Dad taught you the code. You said the code was there to keep you alive, not Hannah. And it's not even just about you anymore, Dexter; think about Harrison. Do you really want him exposed to all of this?" Debra asked on the verge of tears.

It was when Harrison was brought up that Hannah inserted herself into the conversation, "Harrison is not exposed to anything but a loving home! I will protect my children until my last breathe and I will take out whoever I need to!"

"Yeah, and I will do whatever it takes to protect my nephew from you!" Deb replied back with the same intensity.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Dexter hollered separating the two females. Lily Anne began to cry, which diverted Hannah's attention away from Debra and to the newborn.

The small lull that Dex had created provided him with the opportunity to speak on in a calmer voice, "Deb, promise me that you will stay out of this. There is too much at stake here and I don't need you getting caught up in it."

Debra folded her arms in front of her in defiance. Her brown eyes were burning a hole through her brother. If she could have set him on fire with her stare, she would have. She spoke with an intensity, her voice quivering with anger, "Too late, I'm already balls fucking deep in this. I've compromised everything that defines me for you. I can't do it anymore, Dex, I won't."

Tears were streaming down his sister's face. Dexter's lips parted, he wanted to say something back but no words escaped. Deb recognized that he was at a loss for words and took it as her cue to make her exit.

Dexter had wanted to follow his sister but didn't. He felt frozen in place. His mind racing to play catch up with what had just transpired. The front door slamming shut caused Hannah to break the silence. She was swaying back and forth, holding her infant daughter close as her blue eyes pierced through her husband.

"You lied to me! You let me think that Matthews was the one behind the photos. You knew it was Deb and kept that from me!"

"I thought I could get it in under control without having to worry you. How you handled Matthews proved to me that you would have just flown off the handle and done something to put us in jeopardy."

"You said no secrets between us! You're putting her before me: your wife, the mother of your child!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are! You knew she had evidence that could hurt this family yet you kept it from me! You know what we have to do and you can't face it! You need to decide what's important to you, Dexter! Me and the kids or your pretend sister, Debra! You can't have both!"

Dex took a deep breath and exhaled. He said his love's name as he moved to approach her. Hannah immediately moved away from him like a magnet that was repelling from another.

She spoke again with confidence, "I want you to leave. Pack a bag, and just go. I feel like I can't even trust you anymore."

Dexter instinctively shook his head, "It doesn't have to be that way. I will talk to Deb, figure something out."

"There's only one way out of this, Dexter. You're obviously too weak to do what has to be done. I'm not." She retorted with sincerity. She was proving to him that she was the stronger of the two and had what it took to protect her family at any cost.

Mrs. Morgan stormed out of the nursery leaving Dexter alone with her words still echoing in his mind. It was becoming clear what had just been set into motion. It had all happened so fast and he had no control of any of it. His eyes quickly darted to the other side of the room where his father was now standing.

_Harry: "Are you finally seeing Hannah for what she truly is? She's a ruthless killer, Dexter. She made it clear that your sister is her next target. Deep down inside, you knew it would always come to this."_

Dexter's eyes darted back and forth as he breathed in a jagged breath. He leaned against the rail of the crib, bracing himself as he contemplated what his father was telling him.

" _I need to find out what Deb has on Hannah. If I can do something to stop-"_

_Harry: "It's too late for that! Hannah is a poison; one that spreads quickly and kills without the slightest hesitation! She's got to be stopped!"_

" _And if I can't?"_

_Harry: "Then just take Harrison and Debra and just go! Go somewhere where Hannah can't find you! At least then your sister will be safe!"_

Dexter's eyes closed. He felt like he was completely out of control; so many pieces to the puzzle that he just couldn't see. Harry was right, he did have to do something, quickly.

* * *

Another late night for the homicide division of Miami Metro. Lieutenant Angel Batista sat hunched over his desk, working his way through a sea of paperwork. So much of his job now was made up of pushing paper. It had not been what he had in mind when he signed up for a career in law enforcement. But it was just part job of the job that he loved. Hell, it was all he had since he barely ever saw his daughter.

Angel had attempted to call Dexter after discovering that Harrison attended the same preschool as Harrison, but had only gotten his voicemail. A part of him felt guilty bothering the Morgan family in the wake of Tom Matthews' death.

Batista looked up from his papers when Angie Miller popped her head into his office.

"You need to come look at this." She said with a sense of urgency in her voice.

Angel rose from his seat and followed Sergeant Miller to where a number of officers had gathered around a laptop.

Angie explained, "We had one of our IT specialists run a scan on Albert Hollister's flash drive to look for any deleted files. They found one."

Batista peered at the screen where he saw a file entitled, 'Hannah'. One of the agents clicked on the folder and revealed candid photographs, including the ones taken at Harrison's birthday party.

Angel's eyes widened, his mouth fell open in shock as he spoke out, "Oh dios mío! Hannah Morgan."

* * *

Debra had barely said anything upon returning to Nick's penthouse. She sat next to him on the sofa, watching him devour a carton of Chinese food. He had offered her some but she refused. Who the hell could eat at a time like this? Her mind was still fixated on what she had done.

After leaving the Morgan residence, she had stopped by her house to store her evidence and to take a quick shower. The warm water may have cleansed her body, but it had done nothing for her mind. She knew she was doing the right thing, but it was still eating away at her.

The sound of her phone vibrating beckoned her attention. A text from Dexter. Her eyes scanned the white writing as it displayed on her blue screen:

'Hannah is out of control. Worried about you and Harrison. Please call me."

The text message lit a fire inside of Debra. She quickly sat up straight and navigated through her phone to call her brother. Nicholas took notice of her change in demeanor and asked her what was up. She ignored his inquiry and rang her brother.

"Dexter, what's going on?"

"Hannah kicked me out of the house. She's furious at me for not telling her that you were the one who gave Matthews those photos. She's going to come after you, Deb. You were right, she's dangerous. I took Harrison and just left."

"Fucking A, get as far away from her as possible. I'm not home right now but I can meet you at my place!"

"Okay, hurry, Harrison and I will be waiting."

Debra ended the call and immediately got to her feet. Porter had watched what just transpired and he wanted answers. "What the hell is going on, Deb?"

"I'm meeting my brother at my place. We're going to stop that murdering bitch."

"I'm coming with you." Nick quickly replied getting up off the couch.

"No, I'm fine. Dexter and I can handle this."

Deb traveled to her to beach house as fast as she was able. When she arrived she saw that her brother's Ford Escape was already parked out in front. Inside she found him sitting on her couch. She immediately closed the distance between him. Dexter stood just in time to receive a hug. He sighed feeling his sister's grip tighten around him.

Debra had missed this. She felt like she finally had her brother back. He had finally seen the truth about Hannah McKay. In that moment she knew that this was going to work out. She no longer had to worry about what she had done or said. Her brother was back, free from the spell of the blonde femme fatale.

"Where's Harrison?" She asked upon releasing her brother from the hug.

"He's in your bedroom. He feel asleep on the ride over here."

Debra dropped her purse on the counter and made her way in the direction of her bedroom. She had not only missed having her brother in her life, but missing out on so much time with her nephew had been difficult. She wanted to peek in at him, to watch him slumber.

Nothing could have prepared Debra for what she saw when she crossed the threshold of her bedroom. The room was dimly lit. Her bed along with the rest of her room had been draped in clear plastic. Her photographs of Albert Hollister as well as all of the other research she had collected against Dexter and Hannah were sitting on her nightstand. A set of kill tools sprawled out on her bed. This wasn't real, it had to be a nightmare.

Debra had no time to react. A piercing sting in her neck sent a shock wave through the rest of her body. Her world faded to black.


	12. Episode 12: A Twist of Fate

Dexter stood motionless taking in through his eyes what he had created. The oh so familiar sight of a room decked out in plastic sheets. What seemed out of place was the awaiting kill. His eyes focused on Debra, bound in plastic on her bed.

" _Betrayal. It can drive a person to do things that would have once seemed unfathomable. Lines become drawn: to kill or be captured. It was a game I had been willing to play before, but never like this. Never with Deb."_

Dexter shifted his focus to his roll of kill tools that was opened on the edge of the bed. He placed his hand on one of his knives. It his favorite knife that had carried out the majority of his kills, quick and painfully. He saw his brother Brian's reflection in the shiny blade.

_Brian: "And it has finally come to this. You and I with Debra on the ta... bed. Back where we started all those years ago. Only this time you are truly free; free of Harry's code. You've embraced who you are now."_

Dex slid the knife from its pocket. He gripped it firmly in his hand and turned to gaze at his sister who was bound in plastic.

" _I have to do this. She's left me no choice. It's Deb or my wife and children. I warned her to back off, begged her, but she's so stubborn!"_

_Brian: "Yes. This ends now, finally. You can end all of the chaos for you and Hannah with the stroke of your blade. Put her out of her misery."_

Morgan was seething. He blamed his foster sister for putting him in this position. Having to make the choice between her and his wife. She was forcing him to be the monster; painted him into a corner that there was only one way out. He hated her for it.

It was when Dexter attempted to venture over to where his sister was bound that Harry appeared, cutting off his stride. He was standing tall staring at his adoptive son.

_Harry: "What are you doing, Dexter? This is your sister! Think of how much she has sacrificed for you: her code. She killed Laguerta, covered up evidence, lost her career in the force! It was all to protect you, protect Harrison! You won't be able to live with yourself if you go through with this!"_

Dexter was pacing back and forth.

" _She's been building evidence against my family. She wants to destroy what I've built with Hannah. If she loved me then she would accept us. She needs to be put down for the safety of the ones I love. She's a threat I have to eliminate."_

_Harry: "Listen to yourself! You're no better than Hannah, or Brian! The code is what had set you apart. Without it you are just another killer! A monster!"_

Dex's face shifted to a look of disdain. His imaginary father's words piercing his consciousness. The word 'monster' like a shard of glass ripping through his brain. Deep down, he knew it was how Harry had seen him. The night he walked in on his kill; the look of disgust on his face. It was the same look as he had now. Dex placed the knife next to Debra before shifting to the collection of research nearby.

Morgan's eyes fell upon the photographs of Albert Hollister from outside the motel. He walked over to it as well as the rest of the evidence that his sister had in her possession.

Dexter's hand grasped a digital recorder. His thumb pressed play causing the silent room to be filled with the recorded conversation of Hannah and Debra:

**"See that's where you're wrong. You thought Tom was the one on to you but it was me. I'm the one who saw Albert Hollister enter that motel room. I'm the one who found your Wayne Randall killing reenactment that my brother helped you plan. I called it in."**

The audio caused Deb to stir as she was finding her consciousness. The dosage of the M99 her brother had given her was small. He had no plans of keeping her under the entire time. When Debra's eyes fluttered open, they quickly became wide at the sight of her brother's face glaring down at her. Memories flashing in Debra's head about what had transpired the moment before her world had faded to black.

"Did the recording wake you? You can imagine how shocked I was when I first heard it." Dex muttered in a monotone voice as he watched his sister squirm within the plastic. He stopped the recording and let the device fall to the bed.

Without warning her brother lunged toward her, his face only inches from hers. Dexter spoke with an intensity that was like a demon possessed, "You came into my house with a fucking wire? You tried to make me think you cared about me, about Harrison, yet you were doing everything you could to destroy our family! You betrayed me!"

Debra let out a moan that was muffled by the piece of silver masking tape that was covering her mouth. Her brown eyes were sparkling with tears, silently pleading with him not to end her life. She had never seen him like this. It wasn't him, not the Dexter she knew; more like Rudy Cooper, the man she thought she loved who turned out to be Brian Moser, the Ice Truck Killer, and Dexter's brother. It was surreal. A nightmare she was going to wake up from at any moment. She prayed for it. It couldn't be real, her brother could never do this. Not to her.

The sight of his adoptive sister's fear caused Dex to reel in his emotions. He calmly grasped the knife that was lying next to Deb. He raised it over her, spreading his feet apart to shoulder's width. It was just like he had done so many times before as he prepared to give the fatal knife plunge that would snuff out the life of his prey. "I'm sorry it has to end this way."

Debra was trying to scream his name and she fought against the plastic wrap that was unforgiving. Her eyes were focused on the sharp knife that was directly above, ready to come down at any moment.

Dexter held his stance as his eyes stayed fixated on Debra. He felt the presence of both Harry and Brian standing at either side of him, like a proverbial angel and devil on each shoulder.

_Brian: "Do it, Dexter. Finish it!"_

_Harry:"Dexter, don't! Think about what you are about to do! If you kill your sister you will be lost!"_

_Brian: "No baby brother, you've finally found yourself! Found your true family who accepts you! You may have been raised as Dexter Morgan, but you are Dexter Moser, my brother! Hannah's husband, Harrison and Lily's father! This needs to end for them!"_

_Harry: "If you bring that knife down and end your sister's life then I will turn my back on you! I will not be witness to what you've become!"_

_Brian: "Harry has forsaken you! Just like Debra! Your real family never will! You know that, now do it!"_

Dexter was breathing hard. The voices of both Brian and Harry were ringing in his ear, bombarding him to sway his action from one extreme to the other. He was being ripped in two, conflicted at his very core. His thoughts spiraling out of control. He couldn't take it anymore. His voice cut through the voices, "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

Silence followed his cry leaving him with his decision. He felt the grip on his knife tighten. He was ready. Dexter was going to do what needed to be done. He had to. It had to be Deb. His muscles tensed, as he prepared to bring the knife down with a fatal blow.

"Freeze! Don't you fucking move!"

Morgan's eyes darted in the direction of the voice. He saw a man standing in the doorway, a gun drawn and pointed at him. It was Nicholas Porter. Despite not knowing who this guy was, Dexter was sure that he was not Miami Metro. The handgun was not a standard issue that was given to a cop. Morgan stayed frozen in place as he continued to assess the man standing before him. He noticed that the gun was shaking slightly in Porter's hand.

" _He doesn't seem too skilled with his weapon of choice."_

Nick snorted hard through his nose, and repeated his command again. Dexter's eyes followed his movement as he reached into his coat pocket and brought out a cell phone. Porter's focus shifted to the phone to dial, and that was when Dexter sprung into action, moving forward. Nick caught his advance in his peripheral and immediately fired a shot.

Dexter winced and stumbled off course. His arm burned like it had been engulfed in a flame. A bullet had grazed his left deltoid. Without a second thought, Dexter took off across the room toward the window. Another shot fired but did not find its target thanks to his quickness. With the sound of shattered glass hitting the floor, Dexter Morgan had escaped.

"He got away, Deb. Are you okay?" Porter asked with concern as he went to Deb and removed the tape from her mouth. He then proceeded to dial 911.

Debra let out a painful sob and began to cough and hack. She couldn't answer him. The reality of what had just transpired was crashing down upon her. She knew what would have happened if Nick had not arrived when he did. She would have been murdered by the man she had once thought of as her protective older brother. She now saw the real him. He was no different than Hannah. He was a serial killer that had to be stopped.

* * *

Dexter's Ford Escape was moving at full speed. He had to get as far away from Debra's house as he could and quickly. Miami Metro would be in route thanks to the gunman. He was lucky that he had made it out of there with just a bullet graze. The guy must have followed Deb. Perhaps she had asked for backup to follow her home, not fully trusting him. Dexter had underestimated her.

Morgan knew what was to come. He was going to have to take Hannah and the kids and run. He quickly dialed his wife's cell phone number. It rang over and over again. "Come on, Hannah, pick up!". Her voicemail played. Dexter ended the call and dialed again. She did not answer.

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, FUCK!" Dexter screamed as his fist slammed into the car's center console. He stomped on the brakes when he saw a line of traffic in front of him. Brian was seated next to him and commented:

_Brian: "Of all the nights to have road work? See if you can get around this, Dexter. You need to get home."_

Dexter spun his wheel, forcing the vehicle into a sharp U-turn that came close to colliding with a car on the other side of the road. A horn blared not causing Morgan to bat an eye. He was going to have to take another route back home.

* * *

Batista had not been asleep for long when his cell phone rang out. He jolted from his slumber and peered at the bright screen that illuminated the darkness. It was Dispatch. He turned over onto his back and let out a sigh. The duties of the Lieutenant of Homicide seemed endless. With one motion he reached back over to his nightstand and answered the call.

"Batista." He said with his eyes closed. "...What? Deb?"

The news of the call that had come through had caused Angel to shoot upright. He was completely awake now. His eyes wide with shock. His mind struggling to grasp what was being told to him about Debra.

"Dexter?" He questioned, shifted himself so that his legs were off the bed before he replied with his course of action:

"Okay, I'm on my way. Send a patrol officer over to Dexter's place."

* * *

Thanks to the road construction, Dexter had been forced to take the scenic route home. He pulled up in front of the house, not bothering to park in the driveway. He hastily entered, calling his wife's name as he searched from room to room.

Hannah wore a look of concern when her husband entered the baby's nursery. She had been sitting in the rocking chair trying to get their daughter to sleep.

"Oh my God, are you okay? Your arm is bleeding. Did you kill Debra?" She asked rising to her feet.

"I was interrupted, had to escape. Where were you? I tried calling your cell several times." Morgan inquired as had cupped his hand over his arm to shield his wound.

"I left my phone in the bedroom. Lily was having trouble-"

"We need to leave, now! Pack clothes, only the essentials, get the kids!" He cut off his wife before she could finish her sentence. His words compelled her to place the baby in her crib so she could attempt to care for her husband.

Dexter traveled to their bedroom and into their first aid kit. Hannah followed after and helped him dress the wound. He winced in pain as she applied the pressure of the bandage.

Hannah attempted to ask follow up questions, but Dexter didn't have time to explain. He refocused her on packing. She did as he asked, working quickly. Drawers pulled out, handfuls of clothes stuffed into duffel bags. Morgan went to their closet and obtained his getaway pack: a bag containing cash, new identities, a burner phone, and credit cards. They were going to need all of it if they were on the run.

Harrison was groggy and confused as his mother woke him from his slumber. She gave him a few quick kisses on his cheek and guided him out of bed. "Come on sweetheart, we're going to go on a trip. You, me, Daddy, and Lily."

Dexter's stride into the living room was halted when he saw red, white, and blue lights reflected into his front window. A Miami Metro Police cruiser was now parked behind his Ford Escape in front of his house. He saw a single officer exit.

" _They already sent a patrol car. I'm going to have to deal with this head on."_

Dexter ran to Harrison's room and informed Hannah that they had a visitor. She instructed Harrison to stay in his room. It was Mrs. Morgan who would be answering the door when the the officer knocked. Dexter hid in the next room, M99 at the ready.

The officer was polite as he spoke once Hannah opened the door, "Sorry for the late hour, Ma'am. I need to see speak with your husband, Dexter."

"Oh, he's just inside, please come in." She replied without missing a beat. Hannah stepped away from the door and allowed the officer access to their home.

The cop entered. His eyes taking in his surroundings as he was trained to do so. Hannah led him into the living room, knowing exactly where her husband was lying in wait. Dexter approached with stealth from behind. He was careful not to make a noise. His wife continued small conversation with the officer to keep his focus on her.

"Daddy!"

Harrison's small voice rang out as he stood in his doorway. He was peering over at his father with a loving gaze. Dexter instinctively changed his focus to his child.

The officer was also distracted, he immediately shifted his focus at whom the child was speaking to. Before Morgan could react, the officer spotted him. Dexter attempted to snap into action, going in with the needle. Unfortunately the cop was able to block it. The syringe went flying out of his hand as the cop landed a blow sending Dex reeling backward. The officer attempted to restrain him, as Dexter fought back with a few well placed shots. A lamp and framed picture were knocked over in the in struggle as the officer was sent careening against a bookshelf. Hannah grabbed Harrison and got him out of the living room. Morgan attempted to reach for the syringe that had fallen under the sofa, but felt a sharp pain. The officer had grabbed by his wounded arm and was pulling him to his feet.

Before Dexter could get to his feet, Hannah approached and quickly ran her switchblade across the officer's gut, just below his bulletproof vest. The cop cried out yet managed to push Hannah away, forcing her to the floor. The policeman doubled over in pain, placing his hands to add pressure to his wound. This gave Dexter the opportunity he needed to gain the advantage. He kicked the officer, sending him face first to the floor. Dex then knelt beside him, binding his hands together with his own cuffs.

Hannah was back to her feet, holding her bloody knife. "Aren't you going to finish him?"

Morgan didn't reply, he grabbed the officer, flipped him on his back, and began to drag him through the house. He called to Hannah and told her to get everything loaded into his car. Dexter then pulled the cop out the back door and into the garden shed that was nearby.

"Please don't kill me! I've got a wife and kids at home. You can just let me go!" The officer begged, defenseless with tears in his eyes.

Dexter stared down at him. The gaping hole that Hannah left would mean a slow, agonizing death for him if not treated quickly. Brother Brian appeared next to Dex. He too was staring at sister-in-law's handiwork.

_Brian: "Dead cop tell no tales, Dexter."_

" _A dead cop speaks for itself."_

_Brian: "You don't think Debra is already talking? With all of the evidence that is in that kill room? There's no going back now, little brother. This cop is one loose end you can take care of."_

Moser had ventured into the shed and wielded a box cutter knife. He held it out to his little brother who was still focusing on the injured officer. The uniform; it reminded him of Harry. He had been a man with a wife and children too. His thoughts of his foster father were fleeting, and his focus shifted back to Brian.

The cop's eyes were wide. He started shaking his head adamantly as a shadow loomed over him, getting closer and closer. And just as the cop attempted to scream, the box cutter tore across his throat. Blood began to seep along the path of the swift blade. Gurgling: the sound of death. Dexter tossed the bloody weapon to the wooden floor. His eyes witnessing what he had just done. For a brief moment he saw Harry's face on the cop: wide eyed with terror until the eyes balls rolled upward, leaving only white. The gravity of what he had just done. The vision of dead Officer Harry Morgan bore witness to the monster Dexter had allowed himself to become. There was no time for retrospection. Morgan swiftly slammed the doors shut. They needed to get out of there.

* * *

There were a number of officers at Debra's place by the time Batista arrived. Debra was seated in her living room. She said nothing when she saw her long time friend now standing before her. She was without words, appearing catatonic after what had taken place. She had almost been murdered by her brother.

"Jesus, Deb. Are you okay?" Angel asked going in for a hug. "I sent a patrol car to Dexter's place. I haven't got any word back from him yet."

She just sat there, erect in her seat, not bothering to put her arms around the Lieutenant when he hugged her. Porter looked upset with Angel. He spoke up.

"You sent one cop? Are you kidding me? How about YOU go check out that room and the knife set that sicko had! This is a fucking serial killer YOU'RE dealing with."

"Hey, take it easy, cabrón. This is a Miami Metro investigation. I've known Dexter and Debra for years. You have no right throwing accusations-"

Nick rose to his feet and got in Batista's face before he spoke again, "Accusations? Debra would be dead right now if I hadn't followed her home! That fucker would have killed both of us if I hadn't gotten a shot off on him!"

Before Angel could reply, an officer called for him to come into the bedroom. Batista's jaw fell open the moment he walked into the plastic covered room.

The officer who had been in charge pointed out the photos and tape recorder that was still sitting on the bed. None of the items had been moved.

"Dexter..." Angel voiced, his eyes falling upon the open roll of knives.

One of the officers used his gloved hand to hit play on the tape recorder. It started mid-recording. The voices of Hannah and Debra filled the room as they had been discussing Matthews' death.

"Holy shit, LT, Dexter's wife is in on it too."

"His wife, Hannah? Turn it off, bag it as evidence, we can listen to the full tape back at the station."

Sergeant Angie Miller stepped into the room, her purse still on her shoulder as she had just arrived on the scene after getting the call. She too was gobsmacked by the sight she was taking in. She commented aloud:

"This looks just like the motel room where we found Hollister: The plastic sheets, the knives."

Angel nodded, his eyes taking in the entirety of the room before replying, "All of it is just like the Bay Harbor Butcher. Maria had been adamant that Doakes was innocent and that Dexter was the real butcher who framed him. She didn't have the proof, and the evidence on Doakes was overwhelming."

Porter was now standing in the doorway, being blocked from entering by an officer. He added a comment of his own, "And what happened to Maria?"

"I thought I hired you to tell me that, Mr. Porter. You came up with nothing. Nada."

Miller looked confused, "Wait, I thought that the FBI concluded that Estrada had killed Maria Laguerta. Why would you still be investigating her death, Angel?"

In the heat of discussion, the homicide team did not notice that Debra had made her way to the bedroom doorway. She stood next to Nick and broke her silence:

"It was me. I shot Maria thinking I was protecting Dexter." She muttered aloud, followed by a number of sharp breaths. She almost couldn't believe her own words. That she was speaking the words that condemned herself to Miami Metro. Letting the truth out was like a breath of fresh air after being submerged in a sea of darkness.

"Holy shit.." Angel muttered, putting his hands on his hip. He let out a deep breath and walked out of the room, not wanting to believe what he had just heard.

Angie placed her hand on Debra's shoulder, "It may be best if we get you down to the station."

Porter interjected, "With all due respect, you guys need to get over to Dexter's place. He could already be in the wind. I'll be happy to take Deb. She's really a mess right now. I'm going to give her a few minutes outside before we leave."

Sergeant Miller nodded in approval allowing them to step out.

* * *

Dexter's Ford Escape was traveling down the highway at a high velocity. He kept having to bring his speed down with the fear of getting pulled over. Blending in with the traffic was important. Harrison was asleep in the back with his infant sister. It had been no easy task getting him calmed down from the altercation he had witnessed in the family room. He asked many curious questions, but most were put to rest with lies that the four year old easily bought into. Hannah was seated in the passenger seat.

"They are going to be looking for this car, Dexter."

"I know, I'm just trying to get us as far away from the house as possible. I took the cop's scanner. It should help us keep track of Miami Metro's movement."

Hannah shifted in her seat, facing her husband as she spoke, "Why don't we hop on a flight? Get out of the country while we can with those identities you got us."

Morgan shook his head, "Richard Thompson, his wife Claire, and their son, Daniel, all have identification. I hadn't gotten a chance to get Lily a fake birth certificate yet. We would never get past airport security."

"So isn't that just a phone call away? We could hide out until you could get one."

Dexter was quiet for a moment before he replied, "Maybe the kids should go to Astor and Cody's grandparents. They're in Orlando, we know they will be taken care of."

Mrs. Morgan frowned at her husband's suggestion. "No, I'm not abandoning our kids."

"It's not abandoning them, it's keeping them safe. How far do you think we are going to get with a four year old and a newborn?" Dex replied quickly, his voice sounded a bit annoyed.

Hannah folded her arms in front of her in defiance. Her eyes began to glisten over with forming tears. She was thinking about the idea of having to part with the children she loved so dearly.

"I don't care, I won't leave my babies. They are my life, Dexter." She proclaimed with the utmost sincerity. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again.

"We can drive across country, find somewhere to settle down. You could get Lily a new identity. We could start a whole new life."

Dexter sighed and gave a weak smile. He glanced over at his wife who was smiling hopefully in his direction. He reached out with his right hand toward her, she grasped it in hers.

" _Hannah still wants her Argentina. An escape from justice to live out a new life with our children. Killers like us don't get a happy ending. I was once the one who made sure of that. Can I rewrite our future? Give my wife her 'happily ever after'?"_

* * *

Debra paced back and forth across the sand. She was behind her beach abode, taking in the Miami night air. She couldn't stand being in her house a moment longer: the sea of officers who populated the killer room her brother had created just for her.

Deb couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible that it had gotten to this point. She had found out what her brother was that night in the church when she witnessed the death of Travis Marshall. She could have turned him in then. But she didn't want to see him as a monster. What sister would want to see her own brother in that light? And now she was paying the price for her blind loyalty. The price that could have been her life if not for Nick. Thank God her father wasn't alive to see any of this. It would have been the death of him.

Nick approached his girlfriend who was muttering obscenities to herself. His presence caused her to come back to reality.

"I should be there leading the charge when they storm Dexter's place."

"Deb, you almost died by the hand of your own brother. There is no way they are going to let you be a part of the investigation. You are the epitome of too close."

His words caused Deb to stop pacing and reply, "don't I fucking know it!"

"Come on, you know that they're not going to find Dexter and Hannah there. But don't worry, they aren't going to get far from us."

Debra's eyebrows narrowed. She took note of the confidence in Porter's voice and wondered what had caused it. "Do you know something I don't?"

Porter let out a chuckle before responding, "I didn't want to say anything in front of Miami Metro but I stuck a tracker on Dexter's car when I first got here. If he's in his car then we can monitor his location from an app on my phone."

Debra's mouth pulled taut into a smile. "Fuckin' A. Let's go! We need to catch them! I'm going to take them down!"

"Now there's the Debra Morgan I love. But we need to smart about this. Let's get in the car as if I'm taking you down to the station and then we'll switch up and you can drive."

* * *

The Miami Metro Police Department had descended on Dexter and Hannah's home. Four or five cop cars lined together blocking the road. Their colorful beacons illuminated the entire street. Many of the neighbors stood outside wondering what was going on at this late hour.

Batista noted that patrol car that he had ordered had been sitting in front of the home when they had arrived. The officer had never checked in, and because of that, Angel had told his men to proceed with great caution. After witnessing that plastic room at Deb's place, the Lieutenant had to be ready for anything.

The police surrounded the home. Each of the entrances were covered. Angel gave them the go ahead to move in. Guns were drawn and at the ready as the home was searched for their occupants. When Batista entered, he noticed the living room in disarray. He looked down at his feet where he saw a cracked family photo of the Morgans. A seemingly loving and normal family, which was anything but.

One of the officers approached the Lieutenant, "Sir, it looks like they left in a hurry. We've got drawers pulled out with clothing missing in all of the rooms. No sign of their kids either. They must have taken them along."

Before Batista could respond to the officer, another policeman called out for him, "LT, I think we've got blood out back!"

The officers stood by the gardening shed, waiting for their superior to give the go ahead to open the door.

Angel approached and noticed the red pool that was seeping from the door of the shed. "Ay dios Mio, open the door."

One of the officer's kept her gun drawn, while the other cop gained access to the shed. The look of shock resonated on everyone's face when they saw the dead body of one of their own.

Angel grabbed one of his officer's radios and proceeded to give out orders, "Dispatch, put out an APB on Dexter and Hannah Morgan. Wanted as prime suspects for the murder of a police officer, as well as connection in an active investigation. Have Vince Masuka called into the scene: 4065 S. Begonia Street."

* * *

The Morgans were continuing along the highway. The traffic had let up as the later hours of the night were approaching. Hannah had drifted off to sleep, but was awoken by the sound of the police scanner that up until now had occasional chatter, but mostly mild static. Their names rang out, causing her to sit up straight in the passenger seat and turn to look at her husband as he spoke to her.

"They are going to be setting up roadblocks on the major highways. We need to get off, stick to back roads." Dex muttered, quickly making a maneuver across the highway so that he could take the approaching exit.

The hard shift of the car caused both of the children in the back to be awoken. Harrison questioned where they were as Lily began to cry.

"We're driving on the road, buddy. We're going to a really cool place." Dexter quickly replied to his son before Hannah spoke up.

"We need to stop, Dex. I need to nurse her."

"We should get some fuel too. I've got about a quarter of a tank left. We'll stop at a gas station."

* * *

Debra's BMW was barreling down the highway. She was zooming in and out of the different lanes, in hot pursuit of her brother who she knew was ahead of her. Her brown eyes were focused on the cars in front of her, hoping desperately to see Dexter's Ford Escape.

"You want to slow down, Mario Andretti?" Nick commented as he grabbed hold of the car door handle.

"Do you want to catch these fuckers or not?"

"I do, I just don't think we need to get pulled over before that happens. Last time I checked you aren't a cop anymore."

Debra ignored his comment about her speed, "I need to get to Harrison. Miami Metro won't put out an Amber alert. Dexter and Hannah are his legal parents so it doesn't qualify as a kidnapping. Do you believe that shit?"

"The media put out the information about both of the kids, that's all that matters. Besides, do you really think they would hurt their own kids?"

"I didn't think Dexter would hurt me, his own fucking sister. My poor nephew..." Debra retorted with a long sigh. She was trying to fight back the tears.

"Just relax, okay?"

Nick removed a small vile from his pocket. He dipped some of the white powder onto his finger before sniffing it up his nose. Debra noticed this from her peripheral view. Her eyes darted from the road to him as he took yet another hit.

"Give me a bump." She muttered.

"No, you swore off of this, remember?"

"It will help me stay focused."

"I'm not going to let you ruin your sobriety."

"Fuck you, you're not my father! Give me a fucking bump!" Screamed Debra throwing herself back against her seat like a spoiled child, not getting her way.

When Nick told her 'no' again, she attempted to grab it out of his hand, which caused the car to swerve right. The BMW almost hit into another automobile. A car horn blared as Nick implored her to drive the car.

Debra spoke again when she brought the focus back to her driving, "My brother is a serial killer and he tried to kill me tonight. Fuck sobriety! Give it to me!"

Nick finally handed the cocaine over and watched as she tilted her head up, and brought the entire vile to her nose. She snorted hard. Letting out a moan, she felt the rush of the drug hit her body like an electric shock. She then slammed her foot on the accelerator.

"Come on, Deb! You're driving like a maniac! We're tracking them. They aren't far up ahead."

The mention of the tracker caused Deb to inquire, "How far ahead are they now?"

"Hang on let me check." Porter replied, fiddling with his cell phone.

This caused Debra to get annoyed, "You don't have it up right now? What the fuck?"

"The app drains the shit out of my battery!" Nick said in defense.

"So fucking plug the phone in to charge it, Nick! Jesus!"

"I don't have my charger! It was in my car!"

"Well fuck, use mine! It's in my purse!"

It took Porter a few moments of fumbling before his phone was plugged in to the car and he was able to pull up the tracker.

"Oh shit." He commented, staring at the screen.

"What now?"

Nick took a quick take behind him before speaking again, "I think they got off the highway. We're not behind them anymore. Now we are miles ahead."

"Are you fucking kidding me? We have to double back? What road are they on?"

"Country Road 858. It's a few exits back the way we came. You're going to need to get off at the next exit and get back on in the other direction."

"Fucking, sucking, mother fucking, FUCK!" Debra hollered slamming her fist into the steering wheel. "You keep that tracker on or I swear to God I will throw you out of this moving car!"

* * *

Dexter had parked at the fuel pump. He wore a gray hoodie up over his head as he stood outside of the car. A 'Richard Thompson' credit card slid in and out of the machine. Hannah had taken the free backseat to tend to the children. As soon as the pump began to fill the Escape, Dexter jumped back into the driver seat, closing the door.

Harrison was wide awake now and peering out the window at the gas station. Luckily for them, they were the only car at the pumps. The four year old turned and looked at his mother who had been nursing his sister. "I'm really thirsty, Mommy."

The child's comment compelled Hannah to offer to run into the store to get the child food and drink. It was then that Brian appeared in the front passenger seat next to Dexter.

_Brian: "Oh yeah, a gorgeous blonde whose face is probably all over the news doesn't stand out at all."_

Dexter spoke up before Hannah could place her newborn back in the car seat. "No, stay with the kids in the car. I'll go in."

He left the automobile before his wife could reply. Morgan moved with a fast stride across the lot and into the store. He kept his head down, systematically making his way up and down each aisle, grabbing juice boxes, snacks, and a few other items that he knew his four year old would eat. In the final pass, his eyes caught sight of the muted TV monitor. A photograph of him and Hannah from their wedding day was displayed. He read the headline below the picture to himself.

" _Wanted and dangerous, do not attempt to approach. Call the police if spotted."_

The next screen that was shown provided even more details about them. The make and model of the car, a description of their children. Morgan stopped watching the monitor. He needed to get his family out of there.

Dex moved to the register. He tossed the items on the counter. He was careful to not make eye contact with the cashier. Dexter turned his body slightly so that the attendant could not get a good look at his face.

"How ya doin'?" The young gentleman asked, who wasn't even looking at Dexter, but up at the television monitor.

"Okay." Morgan muttered, focusing on the credit card machine. He slipped the Thompson credit card into it and waited for it to approve the transaction before the clerk could even read the total to him.

The approval flashed across the screen, and Dexter took it as his cue to grab his bags and leave. He was almost to the door before the attendant hollered after him:

"Hey! Wait a minute! Stop!"

Morgan froze in place. His back to the clerk. Was it possible that the kid had noticed him from the television? Should he make a run for it? His car was only a few feet away from outside the store. The gas nozzle, still plugged into the gas tank. He heard the sound of footsteps and spun around to see that the clerk was coming from around the counter. Quickly Dexter's eyes shifted to the cameras that were perched at each corner of the room. If the clerk had to be dealt with, would he have access to that video tape?

"You forgot one of your bags." The attendant commented as he held the it out to Morgan when he approached him.

Dexter quickly thanked him, took it, and left the store. He could feel his heart racing with the adrenaline that came for a brief moment when he thought he had been made. Hannah received the bags from where she sat in the front passenger seat. Dex returned the gas nozzle, and closed his tank before getting in the car.

"We're all over the news. Our faces, the make and model of this car. It's only a matter of time before someone spots us and calls it in." He told his wife as he started the engine and took off.

"We need a new vehicle now." Hannah replied, fixing a juice box for her son before she handed it back to him.

"Easier said than done. Either we take one by force or we happen upon one that we can take and hot wire. One involves great risk, the other might be hard to come by on this back road. As you can see, there isn't much of anything, let alone an unattended vehicle. The one thing we have on our side is the night. We will need to find something else come tomorrow."

* * *

Just as the Escape had cleared the view of the gas station, Debra's BMW pulled in. The car came skidding to a halt. Debra surveyed the empty lot.

"What the fuck? There's no one here, Nick!"

"The tracker pinpointed them at this location. I've got nothing now, it's like they disappeared!" He replied with a look of confusion.

Deb muttered a few of her favorite obscenities under her breath before she drew in a deep breath and exhaled with questions.

"How is that possible? Do you even know how to work that thing?"

She snatched the cell phone from Porter's hand and began tapping frantically on the interface while he replied to her:

"We lost the signal. I think it's because we are far from a cell tower or the GPS can't connect to the satellite or something. I don't know, I'm not a I.T. guy."

Deb's anger began to rise and she tossed the phone back at him. "What kind of piece of shit tracker did you buy?"

"I ordered it off the internet! Hey, in case you didn't notice, we are in the middle of nowhere! Double back to the main highway. It should let us regain a signal. We can try and head them off once we get around this dead zone."

Debra punched the gas petal and made a tight circle in the gas station lot. Her car then shot back on the road from where it came. It was only a few miles back to the highway. They couldn't afford to lose any time. She only hoped that the main highway would run parallel to the back road.

Upon reaching the interstate, Porter announced that he had regained a signal. The Morgans were heading North. Unfortunately for Nick and Debra, the interstate they were on was moving them west. They had to find another route. It was going to put distance between them, but it was their only shot.

* * *

The Miami Metro Homicide division was pulling an all-nighter. They were a skeleton crew inside the otherwise dead police station. Caffeine and adrenaline from the Morgan home crime scene kept them going. Everyone was gathered in their conference room for the case presentation led by Lieutenant Batista.

"I want to thank each and everyone of you for your dedication and the hours you put in on such short notice."

Sergeant Miller interjected, "The Morgans' faces are all over the local media. We have put roadblocks up for all major highways. Someone will see something."

Batista held up his hand, and continued, "Word came down from the higher ups. The FBI is taking over the case. Since Dexter was one of our own, they don't want us running the investigation, which is understandable."

Masuka commented on the news, "They're probably going to send another Special Agent rock star like Frank Lundy."

Vince's mention of the late FBI agent caused Angel to think back to the Bay Harbor Butcher investigation. It was the last time where a member of the homicide team had been under scrutiny by the Federal Government. "I just can't believe this. Dexter and Hannah Morgan? I've known Dexter for years and always thought he was a stand up guy."

"Wasn't his first wife found dead in a bathtub?" Miller asked.

"The work of the Trinity killer, or at least that's what we thought." Masuka replied back. He spoke again, this time with his findings at the crime scene, "That cop we found in the gardening shed, Henry Murray, had two wounds: the slice across his neck, made by the box cutter that had Dexter's prints on it. The other, across his lower abdomen by a different, smaller knife."

Angie's questions followed, "So two different knife wounds? Does that mean two killers?"

"As in Dexter and Hannah both took out Officer Murray?" Batista responded with a look of shock.

Masuka continued on: "Exactly, Dexter's missus is not afraid to get her hands dirty. Too bad the FBI is going to be taking over the case. It looks like Deb did a lot of the heavy work for us. We have a cigar tested positive for aconite and a DNA match for Tom Matthews through saliva."

"Mierda, this just keeps getting crazier and crazier. We had her once with that pen we thought she used to kill Sal Price. Hannah said on tape that Dexter took care of the Sal Price pen. He tampered with our evidence." Angel muttered, bringing his hands to his face.

Vince commented, "I knew I didn't botch the forensics on that Sal Price case. Why are the hottest ones always the most homicidal? Dexter had his hands full in more ways than one. Huhuhuhuh."

The detectives all gave Masuka dirty looks for making a joke that was, as usual, in poor taste. Sergeant Miller spoke again, "Who knows how many times Dexter interfered in our investigations."

"I don't think we'll ever know. It's in the FBI's hands now. At least we now know the truth behind Maria's death."

Mention of Laguerta caused Miller to inquire, "Speaking of which, do you know if anyone's questioned Deb yet?"

Angel shook his head. "No, we've been busy with the crime scene."

Another officer spoke up, "We don't have her in custody. Porter never brought her in."

* * *

Debra drove through the night. Porter asked her several times to allow him to take over, but she wasn't having it. She couldn't. Her life had been so out of control from the second she shot Maria at the don of the new year. Cocaine fueled her drive. It kept her laser focused on the road ahead, numbing her from the emotions that plagued her conscience.

It had seemed like forever on the main highway before they had caught a break. A secondary highway snapped them back on the trail of Dexter and Hannah. The murderous pair were not too far ahead. The red dot on the tracker, continuing to make pace on the back country roads. It wasn't until the break of day that the dot stopped in place. Nick was quick to announce it:

"They've stopped. If we hurry we can catch them."

The words prompted Debra to slam on the gas. The car veered off the highway and onto a back road. This was their chance.

* * *

Dexter had stopped at an old rest stop along a road that must have been a major highway at one time. He, Hannah, and the children were the only ones parked. It was the perfect stop for Hannah to take Harrison to use the rest room as well as change the baby. He had contemplated attempting to catch a quick nap, but immediately thought better of it. The make and model of his vehicle was out to the media. Dex needed to stay sharp, be ready to be on the move at a moment's notice.

Morgan's eyes quickly shifted in his rear view mirror when he saw an RV pull into the rest area. He swiftly turned his head, staring intently at the motor home through his sunglasses. An elderly man and woman emerged. The man had what looked like a paper map in his hand. Brian appeared next to his brother, he too was eyeing the new arrival.

_Brian: "I'd say luck is definitely on your side, little brother. An RV, perfect for a Thompson family road trip. Top of the line, and look, it even has plenty of storage along the sides there. Two bodies would fit rather nicely."_

Dexter continued to stare at the couple from afar. His imaginary brother's words dwelt in his consciousness. He felt a cognitive dissonance with what he was hearing and seeing. These were not the type of people he would go out of his way to harm. He had been willing to kill those who threatened him, but this was different.

" _They are innocent people, probably grandparents."_

Moser tossed his head back against the headrest and exhaled sharply before giving his response:

_Brian:"And you are a husband and father of two children that you will never see again if you get caught. You are on the run and running out of choices. How long before you're spotted in this car? This is your chance."_

" _I could sedate them, just leave them there."_

_Brian: "And leave them to report their RV stolen by a couple matching the description of the one the police are looking for? Not to mention, leaving behind the vehicle that is out to the media. Are you thinking this through, Dexter? Spare me the moral reasoning bullshit and do what you have to do."_

Dexter exited his Ford Escape and began to make his way over to the couple who were still attempting to decipher the map. He approached them with a smile and spoke, "You guys look lost."

His comment caused the elderly man to chuckle. His glasses slid down the bridge of his nose, his kind eyes peering at Morgan. "Are we that obvious? I got off the highway to avoid traffic and now we seem to be lost on these back roads. I can't make heads or tails of this map."

Dexter looked at the back of the map, "Well this map is from 1997, safe to say it's outdated. Why not try a GPS?"

"Oh I don't mess with those things. Wouldn't know how to if I wanted to, don't even bother with a television. Figure life's better without all that. Simpler, ya know. Say, you wouldn't happen to know how to get back on the highway would you?"

Dexter glanced back at his Escape and then over to the entrance to the building where his family were due to reemerge from at any moment. "Yeah, I'd be happy to help you. My wife and I are kind of in a tough spot. Our car broke down and we've got two young kids-"

Mention of children caused the elderly woman to comment, "Oh that's just awful."

Before Dexter could follow up with more detail, he saw his wife and children. He smiled and raised his hand. His action caused Hannah to halt her stride. She looked a bit confused by the fact that her husband was standing by with two others.

When the couple caught sight of the family that Dex had mentioned, the man quickly made an offer, "Listen, we would be more than happy to give you guys a lift. We don't want ya stranded out here."

Dexter smiled and gave a nod, "That would be great, let me just go and tell the wife."

With that said, he made his way over to where Hannah and Harrison were still standing. She narrowed her eyes when he approached her. Once he got close, she questioned, "What's up? Why were you talking to them? I thought we were keeping a low profile."

Dexter responded in a low voice, "I think this is the answer to our vehicle issue. I don't think they've seen any of the media coverage, they don't even own a TV. I say we hitch a ride with them. It gets us out of Florida, passed the road blocks on the main highway."

Hannah brought her infant closer to her while peering at the seemingly nice couple who was standing a few feet away. "What if they figure out who we are?"

"Then I'll handle it."

Dex's words caused Hannah's eyes to snap to his. She looked a bit surprised by his admission as the couple in no way fit Harry's code that her husband had once clung to. The look in his eyes was one of sincerity. She knew he wasn't lying.

The family ventured over to the RV. It was then that the elderly couple introduced themselves as Jim and Martha Wagner. Dexter replied back without hesitation:

"I'm Richard Thompson, this is my wife, Claire."

Hannah gave a polite smile. Before Dexter could introduce the children, Martha bent down and asked the four year old directly: "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Harrison." The child replied with a shy smile before either parent could interject.

"Well hello, Harrison, aren't you precious. You remind me a lot of my grandson." Martha gushed.

"That's my sister, Lily." Harrison added pointing up at the baby in his adoptive mother's arms.

Dexter and Hannah both exchanged a glance. An unspoken exchange between them that signified their decision to wrap things up and get on the road. Hannah spoke out, "We should probably get going. It's going to be a long trek back to the highway."

The Wagners agreed. They graciously allowed the Thompsons to stow their family luggage before getting themselves and the children situated in the RV. Jim was at the helm as the RV rolled out of the rest stop. The large motor home accelerated, keeping pace behind a tractor trailer. A car traveling in the opposite direction flew by and sped into the rest area.

"There's their fucking car! They're still here!" Debra exclaimed as she pulled up behind the Ford Escape.

In one fluid motion, she killed the engine and exited the driver seat. The vehicle was empty. She let out a few obscenities as Nick walked up next to her.

"Maybe they're inside with the kids." Nick nudge in the direction of the building. "We should go in and look for them."

Debra shook her head and pointed to the back seat, "No, they ditched the car, look, no car seats for the kids in the back."

She slammed her hands into the side of the car in anger. "God damn it!"

Nicholas moved to the back end of the vehicle, he bent over and removed his small tracking device before he spoke again, "Well, doesn't look like they know they were being tracked. That's a good thing."

"What the fuck does that matter now? The tracker is here and they aren't! Now what are we suppose to do? It's a motherfucking dead end!"

Debra's outburst dissolved her into tears as she crouched down and began to sob into her hands. Porter was quick to move to comfort her. He was apprehensive to speak out again. He didn't think anything he could say would help the situation and not get him cursed. He provided her with a loving kiss on the side of her face which she quickly retracted from.

"Fuck off." She muttered through her tears as she snapped to her feet. Nick watched as she retreated to her car and retrieved the vile of cocaine.

A few snorts and her crying subsided and was replaced by a deep sigh of relief. A burst of energy coursed through her veins giving her the second wind that she needed. Her eyes were closed for a few moments before they fluttered open. She stared intently at the building in front of her. She pointed before she spoke again.

"There's a security camera. Do you think it's recording? We could get a look at what they are driving, maybe a plate number."

"I could try and call in a favor. I know a guy in a local police department around here. Not promising you anything though. This place looks like it's seen better days. I wouldn't be surprised if the camera isn't operating"

"It's the only chance we've got to find them."

* * *

The Federal Bureau of Investigations had arrived Miami Metro Homicide. A number of officers in suits confiscated the evidence from the lab. Dexter's lab was made off limits. A number of forensic specialists were sent into the small room, checking it for any incriminating evidence. The FBI were set to begin interviewing each member of the homicide team who worked with Dexter. It was like everyone was under investigation. Batista was watching from his office as the head member of the team entered.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Batista. I appreciate your cooperation in the investigation of the Morgans. I understand that this is a sensitive matter as your team worked side by side with Dexter Morgan for a number of years."

Angel gave a slight nod before he inquired, "Are you any closer to finding them?"

"No sign of them yet, but it's only a matter of time. All airports are on alert, check points set up on the highways. Traveling with two small children should make them easier to find. We are trying to locate Debra Morgan. She's our main person of interest in relation to finding her brother and sister-in-law."

"I haven't been in touch with Deb since last night. After what happened with her brother, she made it clear that she wanted to be left alone. I can't imagine what's going through her head. We aren't as close as we used to be. I saw a lot more of her back when she worked with us at Miami Metro."

Angel's words seemed to peak the agent's interest. He took a seat and continued the conversation, "Any idea why she left the job?"

The question about Deb employment status gave Angel pause. He could tell the FBI about her admission from last night. It was certainly another piece to the puzzle that they were trying desperately to solve. But Batista decided against it. Adding a new layer of complexity to the investigation now could potentially cause the team to lose focus on finding the Morgans. The details surrounding Maria's death would need to be a conversation for a later time.

"She left right after Detective Joseph Quinn passed away. He was a former boyfriend and partner on the force. She took it hard, especially since it was a suicide."

The agent seemed unfazed by Batista's words and continued to speak about Debra, "We've been looking through the photographs she had of Albert Hollister that were taken outside of motel where he was found murdered. I think it's safe to say that she was the last person to see him alive. We have a recording of her discussing the motel murder, which makes it clear that she had information that she never disclosed to law enforcement."

Batista let out a sigh and made his way over and took a seat at his desk. He leaned back in his chair and re-situated the fedora on his head before he replied. "I think Deb has been going through a lot. First losing Quinn and now this shit with Dexter."

The FBI Agent got to his feet and began to make his way over to the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob before turning back to Angel to finish the conversation.

"I appreciate you vouching for your former colleague, Lieutenant Batista, but I don't think you nor your department have a clue about what's been going on right under your nose when it comes to the Morgans. The way it looks now, Debra could be facing a charge of aiding and abetting."

Angel had no reply as the agent left his office, closing the door behind him. What was there left to say? Much of what the man had said was true. There was so much that the homicide team didn't know. Some of which Batista wished he did not know either.

* * *

The Wagners' RV had made it back to the highway under Dexter's direction. Jim was in the driver seat while Dex hung back in the living area with his wife, Martha, and the children. Mrs. Wagner was kind enough to fix Harrison something to eat while Hannah tended to the baby. In a short amount of time, the Morgans knew that the Wagners were grandparents to three grandchildren who they were driving up to Indiana to visit.

Dexter was quick to capitalize on this information, "We were actually headed up to Indiana ourselves. My wife's family lives up there."

His fictitious admission caused Hannah to gaze in his direction. She was allowing him to make all the moves since they had hitched a ride with the elderly couple. A number of scenarios had come across her mind in the event that the couple discover who they really were. Hannah knew that they had to be prepared for anything.

Jim turned back for a brief moment before replying, "You're kidding, what a small world. That's a long way to travel by car with two little ones. I would have thought flying would have been the better bet for y'all."

This time it was Hannah who chimed in, "I didn't want to fly. With everything going on in the world today. I thought we could take our time and drive up North. Now with no way of getting up there-"

"Well Martha and I would be happy to give you a lift up there to your family."

Dexter and Hannah's eyes were still locked as Dex replied, "Are you sure? We wouldn't want to be an inconvenience."

Mrs. Wagner took a seat on the sofa next to Hannah and the children before she replied:

"Yes, we insist. Just think about how much you could save in hotel rooms. Heaven knows how many times you would have to stop for bathroom breaks, diaper changes, and food. It would be our pleasure."

Hannah gave the woman a warm smile before she placed her daughter back in her car seat. She then got to her feet and moved over to the sink in order to wash her hands after the diaper change. It was the wife's comment to Dexter that caused her to turn back around.

"Oh Richard, is that blood on your shirt? Right there on your sleeve?"

Dexter instinctively brought his hand up to left arm. Blood laced his fingertips when he touched his clothing. He then locked eyes with his wife who was now staring at him intently with wide eyes. Quickly, he gave an explanation:

"Oh, yeah, I cut my arm when I was trying to work on my car. It must have bled through the bandage."

Dexter got to his feet and Hannah moved to meet him. It was then that Mrs. Wagner spoke up, "That's an awful lot of blood for a small cut. Why don't you let me take a look at it? I was a registered nurse for over forty years before retiring."

"No, no thank you. It just looks worse than it is. I'll just go re-bandage it and it will be fine." Dex replied as he moved quickly into the single back bedroom where he and his wife had deposited their things. Hannah followed after him with a look of concern. When the door was shut, she spoke in a whisper.

"Are you okay? I can't believe it's still bleeding like that. You probably need stitches."

Dexter had disrobed his hoodie and removed the small first aid kit they had placed in the baby's diaper bag. "Probably, the shot went clean through, but it's just a flesh wound. I'll be fine. We don't need our the retired nurse asking how stand up citizen, Richard Thompson, was a victim of a gunshot wound while trying to fix his car."

Hannah removed a small cloth from the diaper bag and made her way to the bathroom in the RV. She ran the cloth under the faucet. She noticed a folded newspaper at her feet in the small quarters. Bending down, she lifted it. It was today's paper. Her lips parted when she saw a picture of her and her husband on the front page. With both the wet cloth and newspaper in hand, she made her way back to her husband. He accepted the cloth and held it to his arm, wincing slightly.

"Look at this, it was in their bathroom."

She held the newspaper out to her husband. He looked at it and then focused on her. "If they saw the front page then they know who we are."

Hannah took a seat on the double bed next to her him before replying, "Do they? Wouldn't they have called the police to turn us in if they knew we were running from the police?"

Dexter looked away from her gaze briefly. He looked to be processing everything. It took him a minute before he spoke again, "Unless they are waiting to call. They haven't had an opportunity to be alone since we met them. You should go back out there, watch them. I'll finish up with the bandage and I'll be right out."

His wife ignored his request for her to retreat. She was intent on helping him redress the small hole in his arm as she continued to process the potential threat in the Wagners.

"Maybe they haven't put two and two together. They could have skipped the front page story. I mean, they offered to give us a ride. No one would go out of their way to knowingly help two serial killers."

Hannah assisted him in applying the new bandage. Dexter grimaced in pain, he spoke through grit teeth, "It's possible. Let's just get out of Florida. After that we can figure out what we want to do with them."

She nodded before moving to give him a peck on the lips. They then rested their foreheads together. Both breathed in and exhaled. They had gotten this far and were both willing to do whatever it took to continue.

* * *

Porter had finally convinced Debra to allow him to take a shift at the wheel. They were headed north on the nearest highway they had come cross after leaving the rest area. Nick had put a call into his friend in the local PD. The guy was going to try and email him the surveillance from earlier in the day, but there was no guarantee.

Deb had been hard to handle ever since they had left the rest area. She was now out of cocaine and was coming down hard. Any attempt she had made to get some sleep resulted in the haunting vision of her brother looming over her in his plastic hell. Ironically, her big brother had once been her protector from the scary shadows in her childhood bedroom, but now he, himself, was the ominous monster she feared in her slumber.

She forced her passenger seat into the upright position. Porter took note of this and glanced over at her before bringing his attention back to the road, "Were you able to get any sleep? You look exhausted."

"Not a fucking wink. I keep seeing him every time I close my eyes. This needs to be over. You should speed up. They're ahead of us."

"But we don't know where. They could be on another highway for all we know. Where do you think they're headed? I mean after they get out of Florida. What's Dexter's plan?"

His questions irritated Debra as she lashed out in her typical fashion, "Go out west to become a fucking lumberjack, the fuck if I know, Nick! Jesus! Can you just shut the fuck up and drive?"

Nicholas fell silent. He hated when she got like this. She was clearly in pain due to her brother's betrayal but was not willing to accept any comfort whatsoever. He was continuing this hunt with her because he loved her. Someone had to. Dear Debra was damaged beyond repair. Her mind was struggling to process that her brother had attempted to end her life. Nick could only wonder what would happen if and when Debra was able to catch her brother. Would she have the ability to do what needed to be done?

* * *

Batista walked across his homicide division bound for an interrogation room. The FBI had been hard at work questioning all of his officers one by one and he was the next one on the list. It was quite a role reversal. He had been in those rooms so many times, only he had been the one who was drilling a suspect with questions. Now the tables would be turned. His leadership as Lieutenant of Homicide was surely going to be called into question. His stride slowed when he saw Vince Masuka walking toward him. He did not look happy. When his Forensic Specialist approached him, he spoke in a low tone of voice:

"That was brutal. They grilled me worse than an Alabama whore at a Sunday church barbecue. I'd rather have each of my sack pubes pulled out one by one and be forced to swallow them than spend another minute answering questions. Fucking, Dexter."

"At least it's over now. Just go back to your station and try and look busy. It's my turn in the hot seat." Angel replied as he adjusted his LT badge that hung from his neck.

"Stay strong, LT." Masuka said, raising a closed fist in front of him before walking off.

Batista was escorted into one of the rooms and he took a seat. The FBI agent who was going to question was professional and polite as much as he was prepared with documents in front of him on the table. He kept his introduction brief before commencing with the hard hitting interview:

"Lieutenant, what can you tell me about the water damage to the Hollister crime scene? We have in the report that there scene was being held overnight until the morning for investigation."

"It was my call to retain the crime scene until the morning. Dexter's wife had gone into labor and he was unavailable until then. I had two patrol cars stationed at the scene. Unfortunately for us the sprinkler system burst contaminating the majority of the crime scene. That's on me, I take full responsibility."

"So you are telling me that you put the investigation on hold because your blood spatter analyst was unavailable? Why not request the services of the nearby county?"

"I should have, but Dexter has worked our cases for years. I trusted his work and felt like he was the right man for the job."

The agent flipped through his stack of papers before speaking again, "The man who has direct ties to the victim, Albert Hollister? We see in your files that Hollister's son, Jay was in the same class as Dexter's son, Harrison. You have photographs of Mrs. Morgan taken from Hollister's computer that proved he was at their four year old's birthday party-"

"We obviously didn't have that information at the time. Come on, what is this? Are you suggesting we would knowingly compromised our own investigation?" Angel was getting a bit irritated by the line of questioning.

"Please calm down, Lieutenant, we are just trying to get the facts straight."

"The only facts we had at the time that we examined the crime scene was that it looked premeditated, plastic sheets covered the room. One of Michelle Hollister's hair strands was found at the scene leading us to question her as our prime suspect."

"Found by Dexter Morgan. At least that's what the scene report says. It's kind of strange that the blood guy was the one to find your single piece of evidence. A single hair in a flooded room. Kind of a needle in a haystack, isn't it?"

"I get what your saying. You think Dexter planted the evidence. Hey, I knew this guy for years, it's not like I had any suspicion. We had no idea the Morgans were even involved in this case until later. And if we had-"

"Did you call Dexter and his wife in for questioning once you discovered the connection?" The agent asked, cutting off Batista before he could finish his sentence.

"No, shit went sideways with Debra before we were able."

More pages shifted and the agent spoke again, "Speaking of Debra Morgan, you have documented that she was hired as a private investigator to follow the victim. She admitted to you in her interview that she was following him the night he died. We have pictures that were found in her home of Hollister outside of the motel where he was killed. She was the last one to see him alive."

"She didn't tell us that. We had no idea that she had been there. We heard on the recording that she was the one who called it in. I don't know why she wasn't forthcoming with me."

The agent adjusted his posture and responded, "Probably because she was trying to protect her brother. We've got her on tape proving that she knew about the murder, knew that her brother and his wife were responsible and yet she kept this to herself. In my book that's obstruction of justice."

The agent pressed on, "Then there's the cigar that was tested at an independent lab. We had our lab run it for traces of aconite as well as DNA from Tom Matthews. We got a hit for both. Tom's niece was nice enough to provide a familial sample that we ran it against. Hannah Morgan's finger prints were found on the cigar. This along with the tape conversation leaves little doubt that Dexter's wife poisoned Captain Matthews. This is yet another piece of evidence that Debra was sitting on."

"So what happens now?" Batista asked. He knew what the reply was going to be but some part of him just wanted to hear it said aloud.

"We're putting out a warrant for Debra's arrest. If we can get her, there's a good chance we will be able to catch her brother and sister-in-law. She might be willing to cut a deal in exchange for rolling over on them."

Batista realized that this was his moment to mention Debra's confession of killing Maria. He opened his mouth, preparing to speak when the interview was interrupted by another agent who entered the room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but we got a call from Glades County, Dexter Morgan's Ford Escape was found. There was no sign of him or his wife and children."

"Any possible witnesses? If they are on the move in another vehicle then surely one was reported stolen in the area."

"Their car was abandoned at a rest area. There were security cameras, we've requested the footage. It should be sent to us within the hour."

* * *

Sleep had found Debra. She was lying reclined in the passenger seat of her BMW. Porter had stopped for gas and avoided waking her. He knew she needed the rest. It wasn't until he had received an update on the search that he decided he needed to interrupt her slumber. He knocked on her window, causing her to jerk upright. She was clearly startled as she let out a steady stream of profanity. Porter opened the door and presented her with a cup of coffee before he spoke:

"Glad you got some rest. I heard back from my cop friend. He was unable to send the footage. He said it was requested by the FBI. Seems like they are on to your brother as well."

Debra took a long sip of her coffee before she replied, "I'm not surprised. Miami Metro wouldn't be allowed to go after one of their own. Batista and the guys must be shitting bricks. What are we going to do now without the footage?"

"We don't need the footage. My buddy pulled a plate number of the vehicle from the surveillance. Turns out they hopped on an RV. I told him that grand theft auto was suspected and he's going to put out an APB. He said he'd call me back if anything turned up."

Debra shifted in her seat and reached for her cell phone that had fallen onto the floorboard of the car when she had fallen asleep. She saw that she had a missed call from Batista as well as a voicemail. A few clicks with her thumb and she brought the phone to her ear. Nick waited patiently for her to listen to the message. He studied her face as he saw it change from indifference to shock.

"Mother fucking, fuck..."

"What?"

Deb didn't reply as she ended the message and tossed her phone into the cup holder of her car. She turned back and stared up at Nicholas. She looked like she was truly at a loss for words, which pretty much never happened to her. Finally, she regained her voice and informed him of what she was told in the voice mail:

"The FBI put a warrant out for my arrest. I'm wanted for aiding and abetting my fucking serial killer brother and sister-in-law. Batista says I need to turn myself in and cooperate with the investigation if I don't want to face jail time."

Debra's voice trailed off before she let out a sob that she attempted to stifle. She brought her hands to her face and began to hyperventilate. In a matter of a day, Debra had gone from victim to criminal accomplice. The FBI was using her own evidence from her investigation against her. The reality that she could be the one to be locked away instead of her brother was terrifying to her.

Nick bent over and leaned into the car to take her into his arms. She hugged him tightly, not wanting to ever let go. Nicholas Porter was all she had now as her entire life was imploding around her. She felt powerless to make it stop. He whispered his reassurance in a calm, loving voice.

Deb managed to mutter words through her tears, "I'm not going to go down with him, Nick. I can't do it anymore... It has to end..."

* * *

Dexter and Hannah were lying with the children between them in the RV's bed. They had finally gotten both Harrison and Lily down for a nap. They had been keeping a close eye on the Wagners, looking for any sign that they knew who they really were and would attempt to turn them in. So far it had been smooth sailing.

Hannah's arm was draped across her children. She reached further and gently caressed her husband's face before speaking in a whisper, "I love you."

Dex's lips pulled taunt into a smile, "I love you too."

After his admission, he leaned over his children and kissed his wife's lips. Their kiss broke as they felt the RV begin to slow down. Their eyebrows furrowed when the vehicle crawled to a stop. Dexter got to his feet and carefully peered through the the blinds of the back window. He saw a police car flashing lights behind them.

"We've been pulled over by a patrol car." He whispered to his wife.

Hannah's eyes were wide with worry as she sprung off the bed and joined him at the window, "Oh my God, do you think they called them? What are we going to do, Dexter?"

Before Morgan could reply, his attention was drawn to the door of the bedroom where he saw Brian leaning. In Moser's hand was Dexter's steel knife. He was holding it out to Dex.

_Brian: "If the cop comes aboard, take him out first. Then go for the husband. Hannah can take care of the wife. You can get this RV rolling before anyone has a chance to call it in."_

"Dexter?" Hannah said his name louder than a whisper, enough to get his attention, causing him to snap out of what looked like a daze.

He turned and looked at her before he spoke, "Be ready."

Those two words compelled Hannah to produce her switchblade from her back pocket. Morgan had moved to one of their bags by the bed. He brandished one of his steel blades. Slowly, he made his way over to the bedroom door. With care, he cracked it open to silently survey what was going on in the main cabin. Jim's voice could be heard as he spoke to the police officer.

"The wife and I are headed up to Indiana to see the grand kids."

Another male voice spoke, "This RV was reported stolen, can I see your license and registration please?"

"That's ridiculous, it must be a mistake. My wife and I purchased this RV earlier this year. Hang on a second, I've got the papers in my glove box."

There were a few moments of silence before the officer spoke again. "Do you mind if I peek inside your RV?"

"No, not at all. Come on in."

Dexter looked at his wife. Hannah moved to the other side of the door. Her back against the wall like her husband. Their children still asleep on the bed. She could only hope that they would sleep through what was to come.

The police officer climbed into the RV. His eyes scanned the surroundings before greeting Martha Wagner who politely introduced herself. Dex listened for footsteps that were coming closer to the bedroom door. Morgan hung back in wait, he saw the officer's shadow. Only a few more steps and it would be the last that he would ever take. Dexter's knife was at the ready.

Suddenly, the officer's radio broke the silence causing him to freeze in place. "We have a code 29 in progress, requesting back up."

The officer responded, acknowledging dispatch. He moved back away from the bedroom door and retreated to the front of the RV. He spoke again, this time to the Wagners. "Thank you for your cooperation, drive safely."

The Morgans both let out a sigh of relief. If not for the radio call from dispatch, things would have gotten messy very quickly. There was a brief moment of silence before Dexter heard footsteps again approaching; a knock on the door followed. They then heard Jim's voice from the other side of the door.

"Hey Rich?"

Dexter slipped his knife casually into the pocket of his khaki pants before he opened the door. He gave Jim a pleasant smile before bringing his right finger up to his lips, "Shh, kids are napping. Everything okay? We stopped and I thought I heard someone else talking to you guys."

"Oh well, we got pulled over. Some mix up, the cop thought the RV was stolen. We set everything straight."

"Oh, well that's good. I'm glad everything got cleared up."

Mr. Wagner nodded and started to close the door. Right before the door latched, he opened it again, "By the way, with all this excitement, I've got to hit the john. You haven't seen my newspaper that was in there have you? I didn't even get a chance to read it."

Dex shook his head nonchalantly. "Sorry, haven't seen it."

"Ah, well I'm sure it will turn up. We've got to stop at the next exit anyway, refuel. I'll pick up another paper then."

When the conversation ended and the door finally closed, it was Hannah who broke the silence as she whispered to her husband, "I guess they didn't see the newspaper."

It was when the RV began to move again that Dexter replied with what had been at the forefront of his mind. "Yeah, but I'm more interested to know who reported the RV as stolen."

* * *

Debra was back behind the wheel of her car when Porter received the phone call they were waiting for. She kept turning to look at him, gauging his reaction as he listened to what his cop friend was telling him. They were traveling along the same highway headed toward the last county of Florida before the Georgia line.

"So they were let go? No one else was with them? Are you sure?"

"What the fuck, Nick?" Deb snapped causing Porter to raise his hand up to her so that she would be quiet while he listened to his friend's reply.

"Did the officer see where the RV was headed? Like highway, exit number... Okay, thanks man. Bye."

"Where are they? What did he say?" She asked again, impatiently waiting to know what information he had obtained.

"A patrol car stopped the RV. The couple who owned it had their registration papers. No sign of Dexter and Hannah, but the cop had to leave on another call, didn't get to check the RV. They were pulled over on Interstate 75, and got off on the exit for Jasper."

"Fuck me, that's just up the highway."

Debra punched the gas causing her BMW to charge faster as she swerved into the left lane to pass a number of cars. Not only had they been on the correct interstate, but that they were only a few miles behind of them. The news gave Deb the second wind she needed to engage in her pursuit. There was no confirmation that her brother and sister-in-law were still in that RV, but the fact that it had not been searched left her with the hope that they were. It was her only shot of finding them.

* * *

The FBI was buzzing upon obtaining the security footage from the rest area. They had been like worker bees, diligently and systematically analyzing the footage before they took away from it exactly what they needed. Running the plates on the RV awarded them with the name: James Henry Wagner. It was when they contacted a number of Florida county police departments that they received surprising news.

"An APB was already out on the vehicle for suspected car theft. He was pulled over but let go just outside of Jasper." One of the agents announced to the team.

"No mention of the Morgans?" The officer shook his head, before another question was asked, "Who issued the APB?"

"It was Nicholas Porter who called it in. I was told that he goes way back with one of the cops on the force."

Batista had been observing the chain of events from the sidelines. He decided to speak up when the new information came to light, "Nick Porter owns the private investigation company. He's the guy Deb works for. He was there when Deb was attacked last night, he called it in. I think Deb's in a relationship with him. Are they tracking Dexter and Hannah?"

The lead agent commented, "All evidence leads back to Debra Morgan. Keep trying to reaching out to Jim and Martha Wagner. Notify their next of kin of the situation. They were last seen near the town of Jasper. Time might be of the essence, if the Morgans are with them. Dexter and Hannah have killed before, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to do it again."

* * *

Deb took the exit that the cop had mentioned. It was Nick who spotted an RV parked at a gas station. She had to slam on her breaks as to not miss the turn off. Could it be the motor home that they had been looking for? The BMW pulled up behind it. Porter checked the plate, it matched what his friend had told him earlier. Without missing a beat, she shut the car off before stepping out, slamming her car door behind her.

The sound of the car door could be heard inside the RV. Hannah had peered out the back window caught sight of Debra. "Dexter, it's Deb!"

The Morgans had been left alone in the home. Jim and Martha had gone into the convenient store, leaving the gas pumping into the tank. Dex was wide eyed when he saw Porter and his sister making there way toward the RV. "Shh, stay away from the windows. It must have been them who called the RV in stolen. They've been tracking us."

Hannah watched as Dexter fetched his knife once again. Slowly, he followed the path his sister took along the side of the RV. He crouched down, waiting to move into action if the door opened. Debra cupped her hands around her eyes and she peered in through the door window. The driver seat was empty.

Deb said aloud as retreated from the door. "Stay here, I'm going to see if the owners are inside."

Nick gave a nod and leaned back against the RV door as he watched his girlfriend make her way toward the nearby quickie mart. Dex watched her disappear into the store while the man who had shot him blocked the one exit. It was at this time that he made his way back into the bedroom where his wife was still with the children. "Get the kids, I'll grab our things. We need to leave now."

The moment Debra entered the store, she immediately raised her voice to get the attention of all the shoppers, "Hey! Who's the owner of the RV out there?"

Jim and Martha had been standing in line to check out when they turned around and made themselves known to Deb as she walked further into the store. Jim spoke up, "The RV is ours. Why what's going on?"

"Where's my brother and his wife? Is he still with you? Have you see my nephew? He's four years old, his name is Harrison."

Martha looked confused, she looked over to her husband and then back to Debra before she replied to the barrage of questions, "Richard and Claire? They are with the children in the RV. I don't understand what's going on. Who are you?"

Back in the RV, Hannah had both of the children while Dexter carried their bags. She waited behind him as he slammed his foot into the RV door, sending Nicholas forward into the gas pumps. Dex quickly exited and was ready for Porter when he turned back around. Morgan gave him a swift elbow across his face, knocking him off his feet. Nicholas screamed in pain, holding his nose that was surely broken. With him briefly subdued, Hannah stepped out of the RV. Dexter took the baby carrier from his wife that contained his infant.

Harrison pointed at the man on the ground, "What happened, Mommy? Is he hurt?"

Neither parent responded to the child as they took off across the parking lot. Dexter was leading the way as Hannah did her best to keep his pace with the four year old on her hip.

Meanwhile, inside the mart, Debra continued her conversation with the couple, "Richard and Claire?" Deb reached over and grabbed a newspaper from the nearby stand and held the headline photo in front of them. "Is this them? Their names are Dexter and Hannah Morgan and they are motherfucking serial killers!"

The Wagners were astonished by what Deb had presented to them. The look on their faces confirmed that it was Dexter and Hannah. Debra caught sight through store window of her boyfriend lying on the ground. "Oh shit! Jesus!"

She dropped the newspaper and ran out of the store to Porter's aid. He was struggling to get to his feet. Blood was spewing from his nostrils, as Debra reached him. "What the fuck happened? Where are they?"

"The fucker hit me with the door and then broke my Goddamn nose! Shit, I feel like I'm going to black out!"

Debra seemed unmoved by the fact that he was in excruciating pain and yelled back at him, "Which way did they go, Nick?"

"Behind the building.." Porter winced as he tried to use Deb to lean on in order to get his bearings. Debra ran off causing Nick to stumble, trying to regain his balance.

"Get the car and follow me!" She called back to him as she ran across the parking lot toward the back of the building.

When Deb rounded the corner, she saw a car backing up out of a spot. When she ran closer, she saw her nephew in the backseat. He was straining to look out of his car window. Deb reflexively screamed his name as the car shifted to drive and began to speed off.

She continued to run after the car, when she caught sight of her BMW coming up along side of her. She veered off course, and immediately moved to enter the passenger seat.

"Go! Go! There they are! Don't lose them!" She hollered at Nick before her door was even closed. The BMW peeled out and took off in pursuit.

* * *

It did not take long for a call to come in to the FBI via the Hamilton County police department. The Wagners as well as a few other bystanders had called the police after witnessing the chaos at the gas station. It was the head FBI director that gave the orders to the local department in Jasper:

"Every officer in the county needs to be canvasing the area surrounding that gas station. They could not have gone far. Dexter and Hannah Morgan should be approached with caution. The Wagners told the police that the two were going under the aliases of Richard and Claire Thompson. There are two small children with them so this take down needs to be done with great care. Debra Morgan and Nicholas Porter are to be brought in as well. With Debra's history with the force, we can only hope she will be cooperatively taken into custody."

Another officer spoke up, "We've already frozen the credit lines under the aliases. The credit card companies have agreed to put a high alert on those accounts, they will contact us if they attempt to use them. Road blocks are up at the state border."

The lead agent spoke again, "This ends today. They will not be leaving the state of Florida."

* * *

Dexter was weaving in and out of traffic in his stolen automobile. His sister's BMW was not far behind him. His eyes kept scanning his rear view. A few unexpected turns down side streets had not been enough to shake the tail. Harrison kept asking questions from the back seat, testing his father's patience as he attempted to drive with precision.

It was Hannah who acknowledged the child in an attempt to pacify his curiosity, "Sweetheart, Daddy's trying really hard to find that fun place we are going to. When we do, we will do something fun. Maybe go and get some ice cream. Yeah?"

"Yay! Ice cream!" Harrison exclaimed raising his hands in the air with delight.

The promise of the tasty frozen treat was enough to silence the impatient four year old. It was in the new found silence that Dexter muttered, "Shit. Shit."

"We didn't lose them?" She asked, turning around to look behind them.

"No, and now we are headed out of town. There's not going to be any more back streets or secondary roads to lose them on. We're running out of options." He replied, pushing on the accelerator.

Hannah looked back at the children and then back to her husband before she spoke again, "If we can't lose them then maybe we just need to deal with them, head on."

Dex's eyes snapped to his wife's for a moment before he turned his attention back to the road. He said nothing, his lips parted slightly as the possible course of events played out in his mind.

" _Hannah's right. I know Deb. She's unrelenting when she goes after something. She has no quit. I'd be foolish to think her hunt for us would end when we leave Florida. She would track us to the ends of the earth. It's who she is. This has to end."_

Dexter jerked the steering wheel to the left causing the vehicle to swerve hard down a dirt road. He punched the gas again, causing a billow of dust to cascade behind. In front of them was what looked to be an abandoned trucking yard. Several forgotten cargo holds were lined up in rows of ten, many of which were filled with rust and decay. He drove to the end of the lot, coming to a stop behind the last row. When the car came to a stop, he and his wife exited and swiftly removed the children.

Morgan quickly gave his wife instruction as he armed himself with his trusty blade, "Find a place to hide with the kids. I'll come and find you when it's finished."

Hannah didn't argue or ask questions. She took the children down the row of trucking cargo holds until she reached the furthest one from where they had parked. Harrison asked what they were doing there. The four year old could obviously sense that something was wrong.

"We're playing hide and seek. Daddy's going to try and find us." She explained. She struggled for a moment opening the door to the hold. "Come on."

Hannah led the child into the container while carrying her baby in the carrier. She moved to the back of the structure, placing the car seat down. Harrison took a seat next to his sister. He watched with wide eyes as his mother moved back to the door and pulled it to, leaving it slightly ajar so that a bit of light was able to peek in.

"Mommy?" Harrison whined, "I'm scared. I want Daddy."

She moved back to comfort him with a loving hug and a whisper, "Shhh, there's nothing to be scared of. It's going to be okay. We just need to be quiet and wait for a little bit until Daddy comes and gets us."

Meanwhile outside, Dexter had found a place of his own to hide. He was at a vantage point where he was still able to see the car. Debra's BMW had not been far behind. She pulled up along side the stolen vehicle.

Upon exiting, Deb pulled a revolver from the inside of her glove compartment. She opened it, eyeing the bullets in the chamber before forcing it shut. Nick produced a gun from his sport coat pocket. A quick survey of the abandoned automobile caused the former cop to survey the area from where she stood. Debra knew her brother was lurking there, somewhere, waiting for her.

"We should split up. Each take a side of the yard. We can meet back up in the middle. Just be careful, my nephew is here somewhere."

"Maybe we should call for backup first before we approach. We could really use a leg up on the numbers game." Porter advised.

"And give him time to get away? Fuck no, we do this now. This is our chance to end this."

Debra pressed on, making her way down the first row of containers. Her gun at the ready as she moved carefully. Her instincts she learned from her time on the force were not going to fail her. Nick wanted to stay by her side but decided to follow her orders and investigate the opposite end.

Dex moved silently, tracking her steps as he stayed behind her. His stalking skills that Harry had taught him were needed for his survival. Deb would be a good shot. He was going to need the element of surprise in order to subdue her. Dexter took a small rock from nearby and threw it against a container, causing a clank that rang out in the distance. Like any trained officer, Debra honed in on the location. She approached with caution.

It was when she was at the sound's source, that Dex rushed toward her. She spun around just in time. Instincts took over as she avoided his blow with the knife. They both crashed back into the metal container, she attempted to turn the gun on him, but he grabbed her hands. With his might, he slammed her hands into the container, over and over again until the gun fell to the ground. Before he could capitalize, Debra kicked him hard in the groin causing her brother to double over in pain. Debra struggled to reach for her firearm, but Dexter knocked it away, before kicking her legs out from under her. She fell to the ground hard, her head hitting the side of the container. Debra was immobilized, buying him time to regain his composure and grab hold of his knife.

He struggled to get to his feet. Debra seemed to be unconscious. She was there, vulnerable to his impending attack. Before he could move toward her, he froze in place. He heard the sound of his infant daughter crying in the distance.

" _Lily."_

Hannah was trying her best to calm the crying baby. She gently rocked the carrier back and forth in an attempt to sooth her. She settled, and the silence was met with footsteps approaching. Harrison spoke out as he too heard someone outside the structure, "Daddy found us?"

She brought her hand up to her face to signal the child to stay quiet. Quickly, Hannah moved the doors of the container. She stood against the wall and waited silently as the person on the other side got closer. The left door swung open. Nick stepped into the container, his eyes focused on the two small children.

"Hey, you must be Harrison. It's okay, buddy. You don't have to be afraid. I'm here to help you. You're going to come with me okay?" He said in a calm voice as he moved toward them, putting his gun away.

Harrison was staring at him, wide eyed. Lily began to fuss again when Nick reached them. He talked to the four year old again, "Where's your mommy and daddy? Huh?"

His question cued the child to look in his mother's direction. She was slowly making her way toward them. The switchblade from her spree killings at the ready. Nick went to remove Lily from the carrier when Hannah attacked him, thrusting the knife into his back. Porter yelled out in pain, and immediately swung around, landing a punch to the side of Mrs. Morgan that sent her into the wall. Harrison began to cry at the sight of the man attacking his adoptive mother. He watched helplessly as Nick followed up his attack on Hannah who was now on her hands and knees. A hard kick met her side. She cried out in pain, collapsing on the floor.

Nick brought his gun out and pointed it as he hollered, "You really want to make a scene in front of these kids?"

"Don't hurt my mommy!" The child cried out in desperation. His words caused Porter to halt his offense. His attention turned to the child who was clearly beside himself in fear. The loud shrilling sound of the baby's cry echoed through the container.

Before Nick could make another move, he was tackled by Dexter. The gun dropped as did the two men to the metal floor. Morgan moved on the offense, hovering over top of him. Nick grabbed hold of Dexter's hands, as Dex tried with all his might to thrust his blade into Porter's chest. Both men grunted as their strengths were matched. Nick shifted his weight, sending Dexter into the side of the container. His arm hit hard into the metal, pressing with force. Dexter grimaced in pain as he lost his grip on his knife. His arm wound burned like a thousand fire ants had descended on it, tearing his flesh apart. Nick used this to his advantage and pushed Dexter off. He struggled to get to his feet before his foe.

Porter had the advantage now. He had grabbed hold of his gun and was ready to fire at Dexter when Hannah came from out of nowhere and jumped on his back. He struggled hard to shake her off as she began to choke him. This gave Dex the time he needed to regain his bearings. He grabbed his fallen knife and plunged it deeply into Nick's abdomen over and over again. The blows caused Porter to fall to his knees. Hannah released her grip, allowing her husband the opportunity to deliver the fatal blow: a single stab to the neck. Dex twisted the blade slightly, expertly severing the carotid artery. He retracted, and a heavy stream of blood gushed from the final puncture. Gasping and gurgling sounds emanated from Porter's mouth when he fell to the floor. His pupils dilated with terror as the murderous Morgans stood over him, watching the light leave his eyes.

Harrison was beside himself. His crying had intensified. His small hands were up over his mouth, muffling his sobs. His eyes taking in the sight of blood. Hannah was quick to move to comfort him. She took him into her arms and began rocking him back and forth, shielding him from the sights he had already witnessed. The child began to calm, his crying dissipating.

"Fucking freeze!"

Debra's voice rang out in the container as she stood at its entrance. Her eyes had been focused on her brother that she had not taken in the full sight of the trucking cargo hold. As she moved forward, her feet met the body of her lover. Her face contorted in anguish when she gazed upon him. For a split moment she had taken her attention away from her murderous brother and he tried to capitalize.

But Debra snapped back, bringing him into her focus as she drew the gun on him and screamed, "Don't fucking move, Dexter! I will fucking shoot you!"

Dexter froze in place. He spoke in a calm voice, "Deb, take it easy. I know you've been through a lot, okay? We all have. It doesn't have to be this way."

"You made it this way!" She screamed through tears pointing at gun her at him. It was shaking in her hands as she fought hard to regain her composure. She was running on adrenaline and pure nerves. She stepped over her boyfriend's body, moving closer to where her brother stood at gunpoint.

"Just let us go. This can end here. You'll never have to see us again."

Debra shook her head adamantly. "It's going to end here but not like you want it to. I'm turning you in. Both of you!"

Deb took notice of Hannah who was still holding Harrison toward the back of the container. "Get your hands off my nephew and stand against the wall!"

Mrs. Morgan slowly released her hold on the four year old. Harrison attempted to grab hold of her as she rose to her feet but was unable. He let out a whine and called out for her. Hannah spoke up at the sight of her adoptive son upset: "You are scaring my child! If you have a problem with us, then let's have it out but leave my children out of it!"

"He's only scared because he's seeing you for what you are! You aren't even his mother! His mother died in a bathtub on Dexter's watch. Keep running your mouth and you'll see what happens to you. Get over against the wall!"

Hannah moved to the side, her back against the metal siding. Her eyes caught sight of her switch blade only a few inches away. "What? Are you going to kill me?" Hannah scoffed, "Arrest me? You aren't even a cop anymore. You're nothing. You have no life left so you had to ruin ours-"

"Shut the fuck up, I'm done hearing you spew your poisonous bullshit! You're done!" Deb screamed, cutting off Dexter's wife completely as she pointed the gun in her direction.

"Deb." Dex said calmly, causing her to shift her focus and the gun back on him. Seeing him standing there with seemingly no remorse infuriated her just as much as it hurt her.

She spoke through tears, "After everything I d-did for you, all the fucking sacrifice...And for what? For a fucking monster who wrapped me up in plastic and would have stabbed me in the heart?"

Dexter was unmoved by her display of emotion. His words were apathetic and cold. "So what now, Deb? Huh? Are you going to hold us at gun point until the police find us? And if we try to escape? Do you really want another kill on your conscience? Think about the pain you felt after killing Laguerta."

Debra sniffed back her tears, "It was nothing to the pain you caused me when you put me on your table. Any love I still had for you died in that moment, Dexter. It's over."

Deb changed her focus to her nephew who was whimpering quietly, his fingers at his mouth in an attempt to sooth himself after being separated from his adoptive mother. His eyes were still focused on Hannah.

"Harrison, it's going to be okay. I would never hurt you, I love you. You need to come with Aunt Deb. This is all going to be over soon. I promise, okay? Just come here."

The four year old slowly shook his head. He was trembling now. Many questions were swirling in his consciousness. The kills by the hands of his parents. The gun that his aunt now had pointed at his mother and father. It was too much for him to process. He wanted to run but instead he remained frozen in place, tears continuing to stream down his cheeks. Debra moved forward toward the child.

Hannah sprung into action at the sight of Deb making a move toward Harrison. She moved for her switchblade. Debra saw her movement out of her peripheral view. When Hannah rose to her feet her movement was impeded by a hard blast. The sound of gun fire echoed in the trucking container. Hannah was knocked off her feet. Her white blouse turned a vibrant red. Her hands grasped at the gaping hole in her chest. Fingers covered in a crimson mess.

"Mommy!" Harrison screamed over the sound of his infant sister's cries.

Dexter rushed to her, taking her into his arms. Her sparking blue eyes were tearing up as she looked into his. Her mouth parted. She attempted to speak to him, but was unable. And a final exhale left her limp in her husband's arms. He rocked back and forth, holding her as he saw her brilliant blue eyes go vacant. "No, no, no, no, please no! NO!"

Dex let out a deep sob as he brought her close in an embrace. His hands entwined in her blonde locks as he held her close. It was like nothing else existed anymore. Not Debra, nor his children. Just his wife lying dead in his arms. The sound of their crying children provided the backdrop to the bleak reality that the dream of their future,their Argentina, was gone forever.

Debra stood motionless. Her gun was now at her side. She watched as her brother grieved over his fallen wife. His emotions were real; raw even. She had never seen him like this. Not for Rita, or for Harry.

Slowly, Dexter allowed his wife's body to lie down in front of him. His hoodie smeared with a vibrant red. His eyes were wide as he began to breath heavy. And then a primal scream of pain and fury engulfed him. His eyes snapped to his sister standing before him. His demeanor had caused her to draw her gun again. The look on his face scared her. His eyes were staring at her, staring through her. The color was drained from his face.

"Dex?" She heard herself mutter.

Dexter's hand found his steel knife that he had dropped by his wife. He clutched the handle in his hand, squeezing it as he rose to his feet.

Debra instinctively began to back up. Her eyes were taking in the monster who was standing before her. He was gone. Out of his mind and focused in on carving her with his blade.

Deb's feet tripped over Porter's body as she fell backward and onto her butt. Her mind began to race with anxiety. She heard Maria Laguerta's words echo in her brain like a ghost of New Years past, _"You have to end this. Shoot him!"_

Dexter descended upon her quickly. Her eyes were wide with horror as she drew her gun in front of her. He raised his knife up over his head and lunged. Debra pulled the trigger. A shot exploded hitting her brother square in the center of his chest. He stumbled off course, screaming in pain, before moving toward her again. Debra squeezed the trigger again, and another bullet found its target, this one off center. He faltered again, this time falling to his knees. He clutched at his chest, still holding his knife in his right hand. His hatred filled eyes were glistening with tears. The tears spilled past the rim of his eyes and down his cheeks. He fell to the ground. His eyes now had a far away stare, empty.

"Daddy!" Cried Harrison. His crying reached new heights as did the infant beside him.

The reality of what had just transpired hit Debra like a freight train. Deb sat upon her knees. She crumbled to her knees and let out a painful shriek. When she had let all the breath out of her lungs, she heard the sound of the children sobbing. Deb's glassy eyes took in the sight of Harrison. Tears were streaming down his face. His face was contorted in anguish, the siren sound of his wails echoing in the container. His hands he held in front of him were covered in blood. There was no denying that she was the direct cause of his pain. She had just shot and killed his father and adoptive mother right in front of him.

Debra attempted to crawl toward the child. The moment she moved, Harrison coward, bringing his hands to his baby sister's carrier as he tried to duck his head behind it. "Don't hurt us!" He cried out, before continuing to sob.

His words broke Deb's heart. To think that her nephew now saw his aunt as the monster who was capable of hurting him. She let out a drawn out sob again. Her eyes taking in her surroundings: the blood, the bodies, the horror that had just transpired. There was no coming back from it. She knew it. Finally, her eyes fell on her revolver that she had dropped onto the blood soaked floor. Slowly, Debra lifted the gun. She was still kneeling, peering at her nephew as she brought the barrel end to the side of her head.

"Harrison..." She muttered through her tears, "Close your eyes.."

Her voice echoed through the structure, enough to be heard by the child who was much too upset and worked up to take her direction. Debra allowed herself to take a few deep breaths before she closed her own eyes. On her last exhale, she pulled the trigger. A final shot rang out and her world faded to black.

Police descended upon the abandoned trucking yard. The two vehicles were found quickly and so was the trucking container. Lily's crying had made sure of that. None of the cops were prepared for what they walked into: A sea of red. Bodies littering the container. A beautiful baby girl, face red from crying. Harrison was simply sitting there. His face tear stained, empty eyes staring off into space, catatonic. He was no longer weeping. There was no emotion on his face. His small mind had short circuited, warped by the horror taken in by his eyes.

* * *

_Six months later..._

A husband and wife approached the Miami Social Services building hand in hand. The husband got the door and held it open for his wife as he spoke, "You ready for this?"

The wife simply smiled and nodded as she crossed the building's threshold. He followed after her and took her hand again. A social worker greeted them when they reached the adoption services area.

"Thank you so much for coming down. I'm so pleased that we could get this put through so quickly. These children have been through so much, especially little Harrison."

Mention of the older child caused the wife to question, "How is he doing? Talking yet?"

"He's still withdrawn. It's going to take some time. But, he has created an imaginary friend who he was observed talking to. I think that's a good sign."

The woman looked a bit concerned by the worker's response. "Are you sure he's ready to be adopted?"

"The doctors in the children's psychiatric unit said he's going to be fine. The best thing for Harrison is to give him a warm, loving family. Lieutenant Batista of Miami Metro is facilitating the children's placement and he insisted that the children not be split up."

The husband placed a hand on his wife's back. He caressed her gently before replying, "No, of course not. We wouldn't want to split them up. I get it. My parents left my sister and I when we were kids. She and I were all each other had."

There was a brief pause before he spoke again, "Is Harrison here now?"

"They just brought him over from the children's hospital today. He's in our observing room."

The conversation was interrupted when Batista and Jamie both walked up to them. In Jamie's arms was a sleeping Lily Anne. Angel and his little sister had graciously volunteered to care for the Morgan's youngest child in the wake of her parents' death. The sight of the infant caused the potential adoptive mother to gush as she reached for the baby.

Jamie allowed the woman to take the child as she spoke, "She's such a sweet baby. Harrison is too once he warms up. Angel was telling me about you both. You're FBI agents from Burbank, California?"

The husband answered, "Yes, we came over to Florida to help work the case. When we found out that the two children had been orphaned my wife and I couldn't help but see it as fate. We had a really difficult last year and recently found out we can't have children."

Jamie frowned, "I'm so sorry. Well these kids are great. They deserve to have a fresh start."

Batista chimed in, "Which is why they are going to Burbank. They need to be as far away from Miami as possible. The Morgans are infamous now. Reports are calling them this generation's Bonnie and Clyde. Es asqueroso. I wouldn't want them to have to live their life with that shadow hanging over them."

The social worker interjected, "Should we go ahead and get Harrison? I'm sure you will want to be on your way. It's quite a long flight back to California."

Angel also took the cue for he and his sister to excuse themselves. They relinquished the baby's diaper bag before parting. Jamie had thought about saying one last goodbye to Harrison, but decided not to. She figured he had enough loss recently that he did not need another goodbye. The couple before them seemed nice, stable and willing to provide him with a whole new life. A fresh start that could assist him in making his life with two serial killers fade into a distant memory from the past as he grew older.

Harrison was seen in a child observation room. They were peering in at him through a two way mirror. He was seated at a child size table, coloring on a piece of paper. A red crayon was in the four year old's hand. It moved swiftly across the construction paper. His eyes focused intently. The wife commented how cute he was while she swayed the baby her in arms.

When the door to the room opened, the child immediately looked up, startled by the unannounced intrusion. Harrison quickly dropped his crayon and moved to hide underneath the table. The couple slowly made their way over to him. The child sat there on the floor, legs pulled to his chest. His eyes saw the legs of the adults who approached: jeans and converse shoes on the man, designer jeans and heels on the woman. More of the couple's appearance was revealed to Harrison as they crouched down to be on his level. They were both smiling warmly. The man had olive skin and curly brown locks of hair. Harrison saw the woman, which caused his lips to part while he took in the sight of her. She had straight blonde hair that came down to her shoulders. Her eyes were a vibrant blue. The woman's striking resemblance to his late adoptive mother captivated his attention. He saw his baby sister in the woman's arms. When she spoke, her voice comforted him.

"Hi Harrison. My name is Sarah, and this is my husband, Chuck. We would like it very much if you and your sister came to live with us. Is that okay?"

A few seconds passed before the child gave a weak nod. His nonverbal response prompted Sarah to slowly extend a hand toward him. He was timid at first, instinctively squirming away from her advance, but she was patient and waited. Slowly, the child began to crawl out from under the table. The couple rose to a standing position with the child. Harrison's eyes looked away from their gaze, as he took hold of Sarah's awaiting hand. They made there way to the entrance of the room. Chuck opened the door and began to lead his family out. When he reached the exit, Harrison stopped abruptly. He turned back around to the empty room and spoke out for the first time:

"Are you coming?"

The child's brown eyes focused on his imaginary friend who was still seated at the activity table. With his eyes staring back at Harrison, Brian Moser's lips pulled into a sinister smile.


End file.
